Parallels
by QuestofDreams
Summary: NaruSasuNaru. Cowritten with Lazuli. Naruto wakes up one morning in an unfamiliar room, in a place where the Yondaime is still alive...
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.

**Chapter 1**

Naruto woke up slowly, nose wrinkling at the unfamiliar smells around him, one hand rubbing at his eyes. The sunshine fell in an unfamiliar slant across his bed, the shadows of the room strange. Brow furrowing, he uttered the only phrase that came to mind at the moment.

"What the hell?"

Still disoriented with the last traces of sleep, he kicked the thin sheet off his legs. He pushed himself up, bleary eyes squinting as he raised his face into the sunlight. His forehead creased, his mind fumbling to organize the scattered images of his memory. His concentration was broken when a soft knock sounded at the door.

_Who'd be knocking at **my** door?_ he wondered vaguely. Sasuke rarely came to visit--he was too much of a prick to do so, Sakura-chan would never..._Has to be because of a mission._ His brain wasn't entirely functioning yet, and it took him a moment to realize they were knocking on a bedroom door. He didn't _have_ a bedroom door.

He glanced around the room. Neither did he have a five drawer dresser like the one nestled against the far corner, nor a beaded lamp like the one set beside the large bed, which he noted with growing unease, was also certainly not his. Another gentle knock startled him and he took a deep breath before calling out, "Come in."

He wasn't prepared for the older man with a disturbing resemblance to him to open the door, but his foggy mind couldn't quite grasp _who_ he really looked like. He determined he was dreaming, but that didn't excuse the stranger-familiar person.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The older man lifted a blond eyebrow curiously. "Ok, you didn't hit your head _that_ hard yesterday," he said with a chuckle.

The warm sound startled Naruto, his laughter resonating through Naruto's chest. A sharp pang of something not quite pain twisted in his gut as those familiar blue eyes continued to watch him. He had the sudden urge to pinch himself, just to check if he really was dreaming.

Instead, he continued to stare at him suspiciously, leaning back and one hand tensing at his side. It... there was a sense of familiarity there that was almost painful, and he distrusted it immediately. How could anyone look like him, how could anyone (besides a select few) look _at_ him and not be angry? Especially adults.

"Are you going to keep staring at me or are you coming down for breakfast?" the man asked, his voice hinting at a sudden uncertainty as Naruto remained silent. He sighed and stepped into the room.

Naruto leaned back into the headboard, eyes narrowing as the man approached him. A large hand lifted, reaching out, seeking contact. Naruto's hand grappled at his thigh, mentally cursing when he realized that he had no idea where his weapons holster might be.

"Naruto." The older man's brows drew in, perplexed at the way he was acting. "What's wrong?" He tilted his head, his movement an exact copy of what Naruto did when he was puzzled. "Did you have a bad dream or something?" Naruto shook his head, eyes narrowed and his heart speeding up faster in his chest.

"Who are you?" Naruto repeated, more forcefully this time. "And where am I?" He scooted to the opposite side of the bed and stood, putting as much space between himself and the overly familiar stranger as possible. The man was frowning now in confusion, unwittingly mirroring the exact expression on Naruto's face. He could feel the sun warm against his back and he briefly considered fleeing through the window

The man sighed in exasperation, shaking his head. "It gets less funny each time you do it." His eyes suddenly narrowed and without Naruto being able to follow the movements, he was next to the bed, a strong hand grasping his chin, his gaze searching Naruto's. "Well, it's all you," he said in surprise. "Kyuubi giving you trouble again?"

Naruto gaped at him in shock, and he shook his head dumbly. The name Kyuubi coupled with the sudden up close features made it all click in his head. "Yon... yondaime."

A smile softened the features of the man who, by all rights, shouldn't have been standing less than a foot in front of him, peering into his face with obvious concern. "You're not on duty, Naruto. You know you don't have to call me that."

Naruto shook his head, breaking free of the yondaime's grip. "This...this isn't possible," Naruto muttered. His eyes suddenly sharpened on the older man. A henge...it had to be. He was fairly certain now that someone was playing a very twisted joke on him. It was the only explanation.

He straightened, his anger almost visible as he glared at the man. "If you're one of Konoha's shinobi," he murmured. "You should know better than to do that type of henge." His fists clenched at his side and he was vaguely aware of tapping into Kyuubi's chakra. It had become second nature to him. "The Yondaime was my hero and you're not going to..." He took a gulping breath.

"Naruto," the man said gently, as if addressing a child, "listen to what you're saying. Why would someone even _think_ of pretending to be me? Impersonating the Hokage is a serious offense." Naruto opened his mouth to argue when the door was pushed open even further and another man entered. Naruto gaped as Sasuke stood in the doorway, arms crossed and light frown marring his brow.

"What's taking so long?" he asked.

"Sasuke?" Naruto glared at him. "What are you doing here? And supporting... supporting that!" He pointed a finger at the man. "Tell him he shouldn't be looking like the Yondaime! Where's the old hag?" he demanded.

Sasuke glanced between Naruto and the supposed yondaime but other than an arched eyebrow, he didn't register a reaction to Naruto's outburst. "What's he talking about?" he asked, addressing the yondaime.

The older man shrugged, and turned away from Naruto, who was practically clinging to the window (presumably b/c it was his only escape route).

"See if you can talk some sense into him," the yondaime said, leaving the room with a puzzled frown.

Naruto's frown grew deeper as he stared at Sasuke. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded. He and Sasuke had grown closer in the years since Sasuke came back from what Naruto termed his 'hissy fit', and he could generally trust him. Naruto was already searching throughout the room for his uniform, and continued to speak to Sasuke. "Where the hell am I?"

Sasuke watched Naruto pull open the drawers of his dresser, poking through its contents as if he hadn't a clue where anything was. He muttered something under his breath as he withdrew a pair of black pants from a drawer. A moment later, he threw open the closet doors and shouted, "Ah ha!" as he discovered a familiar black shirt and vest.

Sasuke, impatient with Naruto's peculiar behavior, marched up to the frazzled blond and gripped his chin in the same gesture as the Yondaime had only a moment before. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded.

Naruto jerked away, scowling. "What's wrong with _you_?" he shot back. "You're not upset at all that there is some moron pretending to be the Yondaime!" His hands gripped the fabric of his clothing, almost ripping it in his frustration.

Sasuke pulled the cloth free of Naruto's grip and clasped their hands, trying to calm him. "Naruto, I know you couldn't have hit your head so hard yesterday that you can't even recognize your own father."

Naruto's head snapped up to meet Sasuke's gaze, his eyes wide with disbelief. "My... what?"

His hands tightened on Sasuke's, as if searching for some type of stability. "My... you're... that's..." His words tumbled over one another, his brain trying to process the statement. "I don't know who my father is." His eyes searched Sasuke's for confirmation. "You know that, Sasuke."

Sasuke watched the emotions move unchecked over Naruto's face and he felt a sudden weight jerk inside him, as if his heart had suddenly plummeted into his gut. Naruto, he realized with a faint trace of horror, wasn't pretending.

Naruto had released Sasuke's hand and begun pacing. "This...but..." He turned sharply and grabbed Sasuke's shoulders, his gaze searching again. Sasuke wouldn't lie to him, not about something like this.

He released Sasuke's shoulders again, resuming his pacing and not noticing the look that crossed Sasuke's face. "Something went very wrong," he murmured to himself. "First of all, having the Yondaime alive raises some very interesting questions." One hand went to his stomach, tracing the invisible lines of the seal. "And... my father..." He felt dizzy at the implications of it, and all the attempts to blandly analyze it were going straight to hell.

"Sasuke?" he whispered.

Sasuke caught him in mid-fall and he lowered them to the floor, Naruto cradled in his lap. Naruto pushed Sasuke's hands away, vaguely embarrassed at the brief loss of control.

"Naruto," Sasuke asked carefully, "what's the last thing you remember?"

Naruto rubbed his temple and closed his eyes in thought. "Let's see...yesterday I was with Shikamaru. And then..." his brow furrowed as he dug through the haze in his head.

Sasuke frowned at that. "Is that when you hit your head?"

Naruto frowned, glad his eyes were closed so he wouldn't have to look at Sasuke's face in his embarrassment. "Er...no. I tripped outside and hit my head on the door." _The door of my **apartment**_, he added to himself.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and tapped his fingers on his thigh, trying to figure things out. He absently reached for Naruto again, trying to calm him down. "And you don't remember that the Yondaime is your father?"

Naruto didn't bother to shake his head at Sasuke's question. _My father_, he thought, his mind still stumbling over the concept. He looked at Sasuke, who didn't appear to be any different than he had been the day before. Except, Sasuke still had his arms around him and didn't seem inclined to let go. Normally, whenever Naruto showed any signs of physical weakness, Sasuke would smirk and call him an idiot.

But Sasuke wasn't letting go of him, and it was starting to weird Naruto out as much as seeing the Yondaime again. He didn't know which was more surreal--a concerned Sasuke, or the Yondaime alive and apparently his father. Both were equally off balance in his book and didn't make a great deal of sense. "I think I'm going to bed," Naruto muttered. "When I wake up, things will be normal."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and muttered, "Idiot." Naruto couldn't decide whether or not to take comfort in that small familiarity. "Tell me what happened yesterday on your mission."

Naruto blinked. He _had_ been on a mission the day before, and Sasuke's reinforcement of that fact was just enough to temporarily assuage Naruto's concern that he was having a delusional episode.

He concentrated, absently swatting at Sasuke's hands. "I was partnering with Shikamaru, 'cause you were being a stuck up ass again and wouldn't come near me." He smirked briefly. "And we had just captured the target and ... man, was he ever a moron." Naruto rolled his eyes as he explained. "He tried to attack us, when he obviously wasn't prepared. He did some half-assed jutsu that almost nailed Shikamaru. I intercepted it and we went home."

Sasuke stared blankly at Naruto. "That's it?"

"Yes!" Naruto finally wrestled free of Sasuke's grip and stood, picking up his jounin vest which he had dropped upon hearing that the Yondaime was... He felt that flutter in his stomach again and decided to avoid that knowledge for the time being. He shrugged it on and turned to Sasuke. "Now, where am I?"

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. "You're home," he said slowly, watching Naruto carefully. "Where you've lived your entire life with your father." He blocked Naruto from leaving the room. "Where do you think you're supposed to be?" He was determined to get to the bottom of this. "You haven't stayed at my apartment since you had that hissy fit about 'what people would say' and you moved out."

Naruto eyed his friend, unable to recall a single argument between them concerning 'what people would say' nor did he have any idea exactly _what_ they would be referring to. "We've never lived together, Sasuke. And..." He looked around the room, suddenly feeling boxed in. "I've never seen this place before. Now get out of my way so I can find out what the hell is going on here."

Sasuke smirked at him. "You're going to make me?" he said. "I really don't want to get in trouble from your father for beating the shit out of you so that you stay here. He told me to get things figured out."

Naruto gave him a look, eyes darkening with his anger. "You don't even have until the count of three to get the fuck out of my way, Uchiha," he snarled. "I don't like being messed with and I am going to find out what is going on."

Sasuke crossed his arms and gave him a bored look. "Where are you going to go, Naruto? The best person who could help you out is sitting downstairs in the kitchen." From what Sasuke could tell, Naruto was confused and angry, for reasons he had yet to figure out, but until then, he knew it'd be best to keep Naruto from wandering too far.

Naruto looked horrified at the thought of talking to the Yondaime. Sasuke sighed. "Fine, you want to go somewhere? I'll come with you." He wasn't _completely_ unreasonable.

Naruto clenched his jaw, then a smirk slowly spread across his features. He would talk to the Yondaime... or whoever this person was calling himself the Yondaime, and straighten a few things out. Cracking his knuckles, he plotted on how to best shock this imposter.

Sasuke saw the gleam in Naruto's eyes and knew immediately that Naruto was up to something. But since Naruto didn't seem inclined to tell Sasuke what was going on in that thick head of his, the next best person to talk to was Naruto's father. "Ok, but no fainting." And _this_ time Sasuke smirked and muttered, "Idiot," if only to cover up his growing concern for Naruto's state of mind.

Naruto glared at him. "Bastard." It was familiar and comforting and for once the insult didn't bother him. He finished pulling on his clothing, ignoring Sasuke completely before heading out the door.

He peered down the hallway where a set of stairs led to the lower level. He could feel Sasuke's gaze at the back of his head, but ignored it. If someone really was trying to pull a stupid prank on him, then Sasuke was obviously playing along. The thought infuriated him and for a moment, he considered stopping and kicking Sasuke's ass first.

He took a deep breath, reassuring himself that he could always kick the jerk's ass later--and have fun while doing it. That was more normal, too--them beating each other up until both of them couldn't move--but he didn't want to waste any time at the moment. He had to confront this Yondaime-wannabe. He followed what he felt was the normal pathway in the house, getting turned around only once. Arriving at the bottom of a set of stairs, he came face to face with the fake Yondaime.

The blond man was sitting at a table sipping tea. Three full plates sat untouched in front of him. He looked up when Naruto and Sasuke entered the room. He smiled again and Naruto felt his chest tighten at the warmth in those eyes. A very convincing actor, he thought, swallowing back the bitterness.

"Did you guys get things straightened out?" he asked, extending his hand to indicate that they should sit.

Somehow, the kind way he was being treated infuriated him even more. Someone knew his dreams and what he always wanted and was taunting him with it. He was waiting for the other shoe to fall, for the man to taunt him and hurt him even more. "I believe we did." He kept his voice casual and calm--but this Yondaime just gave him a look.

"Don't lie to your father, brat. I know you too well."

At this, Naruto's eyes blinked red and the marks on his cheeks darkened. "Who the hell do you think you are, not only pretending to be the yondaime, but my _father_. My..." He felt Sasuke's hand on his shoulder and jerked away, unable to stand that his best friend would participate in such a cruel joke.

The man who claimed to be the Yondaime moved to his feet.

Naruto cupped his hand in front of him, the swirling blue-white energy of the Rasengen forming without any strained effort on his part, its strength increased by his anger. "I don't care to play nice anymore," he said, his voice deepening and the kyuubi's chakra flicking about him in little waves.

Teaching this man a lesson was supposed to give him pleasure, but Naruto could only feel the heat of the perfectly controlled chakra in his hand and the burning urge to destroy that lingering wish that his father really was standing in front him.

The man before him had suddenly gone white, his wide eyes staring fixedly at Naruto's palm. Naruto smirked, feeling the smallest bit of satisfaction at the man's expression.

He tilted his head to the side, carefully holding the energy as if it wasn't at all dangerous. "This is a relic from the _real_ Yondaime. Ero-sennin taught it to me." He could feel Sasuke startle next to him, but he didn't know why _he_ would be surprised. Unless he was worried he would turn it on him next. Which wasn't a bad idea.

The imposter's blue eyes suddenly darkened and Naruto sensed a change in his demeanor. "Jiraiya-sama taught you the rasengan? When?" he demanded, voice low but somehow thunderous all the same. "He hasn't been in Konoha for years."

Naruto glared at the man, wondering with burning fury why he no longer seemed concerned that he was about to be attacked.

"When I was... thirteen," he said after a pause. It had been five years since that pervert had taken him as an apprentice and he saw him a great deal since then. He was the one that had taken him off for training for almost three years while they also searched for Sasuke; he was the one that had taught him most of the Yondaime's moves.

At Naruto's reply, the other man's lips thinned in displeasure. "I will have to talk to him _very_ soon. And you," he said, expression stern, just as Naruto might have imagined a father's to be when reprimanding his son, "put that away before you hurt someone. We will have a talk later about _why_ you never told me this sooner and whatever else that old man taught you."

Naruto was so surprised, he let the energy dissipate, staring at the man with wide eyes.

He had turned away, then suddenly paused, a wide grin on his face that was identical to Naruto's. Which creeped Naruto out even more. "You said when you were thirteen?" he asked eagerly. "You mastered it that young?"

A little dumbstruck at the turn things had suddenly taken, he nodded absently.

The man looked inordinately pleased with himself at Naruto's affirmation. "How long did it take you?"

Naruto swallowed, wondering why he was even listening to the man talk. "The days all kind of blurred into each other. I don't know...a month? Maybe two."

The blond man was visibly startled. "It took me 3 years!" He reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair. Naruto stepped back, staying out of reach.

"Show me the rasengan," Naruto said, his frown returning.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and hit Naruto hard upside the head. "I really don't want to see either of you accidentally blow up your house." He scowled. "And why didn't you tell me that you could use that?" he demanded. "And why haven't you ever used it before?" He still looked vaguely startled, but Naruto ignored him, continuing to stare at the stranger.

"Maybe I'll be more inclined to believe you. Ero-sennin said that only he, the Yondaime and now I could do it."

The other man gave him a smile that said he was merely humoring him and raised his palm. Immediately, chakra swirled into a perfect glowing orb. Naruto was struck dumb.

The man chuckled at Naruto's expression and glanced at Sasuke. "Look after him, would ya? I have to get to the tower before my assistants come hunting for me."

Sasuke nodded and Naruto watched mutely as the Yondaime left.

He sank into one of the kitchen chairs, head buried in his hands. "This isn't real," he mumbled. One hand picked at the food in front of him, noting in a detached part of his mind that it was better than anything he ever had before. "Ero-sennin said that only a few people knew that. And he did it so easily... and..." _He's nice_. A part of his mind taunted him. _Someone is treating you like you've always wanted_.

_Why are you fighting it?_ he asked himself. _Because_, he thought, jaw tightening, _it isn't real. How can it be real?_ He heard Sasuke take a seat beside him and he looked up into dark eyes still clouded with confusion.

"Naruto," he said. "Why didn't you tell _me_?"

Naruto blinked at him in confusion. "Huh? Tell you about what?"

Sasuke smacked his head again. "About the rasengan!"

Naruto blinked at him, face twisted in confusion. "Um, I did tell you about it. Or at least showed you." That had been one of their first _real_ fights, Sasuke so consumed by the desire to attain power that he wanted to test his chidori against Naruto's rasengan.

And of course, the second _and_ third times Sasuke had seen the rasengan weren't fond memories either. He frowned at the man now that he should even ask.

"_When_ was that? And why wasn't _I_ there?" Sasuke asked, clearly not believing him.

Naruto glowered at him. "What, you're telling me you _forgot_?"

He stood up, his entire body tense from the memory. He had forgiven Sasuke--had forgiven Sasuke the moment it happened, but the memory wasn't something he wanted to relive--ever. "You're talking about me acting weird and forgetting things like the sudden appearance of a father I never had before, but you forgot when you nearly killed me?" His voice was rising in disbelief with every word.

Sasuke's eyes widened before he stood as well. "What the hell is wrong with you? I've never tried to kill you!"

"Right, and you never tried to betray the village by running off to Orochimaru either," Naruto spat, disgusted and exhausted by the day's unending surprises. And it was still morning!

Sasuke's eyes darkened even further, a low hiss of breath escaping. "What did you just accuse me of?" he asked, gripping Naruto's chin and making Naruto face him. He was about to go on when he saw the real pain in Naruto's eyes, real confusion as to what was going on.

He sighed, reigning in his anger. "Naruto, I don't know what's going on here. But...I promise you we'll figure it out." He hugged Naruto to his chest and felt Naruto stiffen.

Naruto went rigid in shock, trying to pull away but Sasuke's arms tightened around him. _Ok,_ he thought, _this is just getting weirder and weirder_. Sasuke did _not_ hug.

At that point, Naruto wanted to scream at all the weirdness that was going on. "Um... Sasuke?" he asked tentatively. "Since when did you start hugging people?" It was unusual and it made his brain hurt to think of what else could be going on. "And... you're hanging around me and being _nice_ and..."

Sasuke pulled back just enough to stare hard into Naruto's eyes. He could tell Naruto was serious. "Oh, fuck," he muttered, his arms dropping to his sides. "Don't tell me you don't remember _us_ either!"

Naruto resisted the urge to step back from Sasuke's mutinous glare. "Us?" he ventured to ask. He considered for a moment. "As in... best friends?" he said tentatively. He would leave off that he had been falling in love with Sasuke for at least a year now, probably longer. "We're not friends?"

Sasuke's nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. "I don't know, Naruto. How about later, I show you what we are?"

Naruto lifted an eyebrow hesitantly. "Well, what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Sasuke continued to glare. "You'll find out."

Naruto swallowed, convinced that he probably _didn't_ want to find out, and moved past Sasuke towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked, following closely.

"To find out what _else_ has gone totally insane over night." He frowned at Sasuke. "And you're acting like some damn watchdog. The last time I checked, Uzumaki Naruto didn't need anyone following him." His expression darkened and Sasuke almost didn't catch the next words. "Not that anyone would have bothered." He quickly shook his head free of the depressing thoughts; he just wanted to concentrate on the moment and figure out what was going on. "I don't suppose we have any missions?" he asked, just to be sure.

Sasuke, deciding to keep his thoughts on Naruto's bizarre behavior to himself lest he accidentally strangle Naruto in frustration, shook his head. "Not for a few days at least. But you should check with your father to be sure."

Naruto flinched at Sasuke's comment. "Could you not say that? At least until I get used to the idea."

Sasuke ground his teeth and didn't reply.

Naruto's gaze shifted away. "I... I just don't know what it's like, Sasuke. You should know and... it hurts that you don't." His hands gripped the edge of the doorframe, head hanging down as if trying to memorize the pattern on the floor. "It .. it's weird and unusual. Next thing you're going to tell me is something silly like 'girls love me' or something."

Sasuke debated telling him that it _was_ true, just to be sadistic, but decided Naruto was confused enough as it was. Naruto would get the idea soon enough anyway, once he decided to move past the front door.

Naruto, however, was staring at the street outside, familiar with this part of town, which was no where near his little apartment. He watched people pass by, going about their  
daily business as if nothing was amiss. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the street.

He was immediately aware of the looks people gave him--he had noticed his entire life--but he was baffled at the feeling he got from it now. People actually _looked_ at him and smiled; he gulped and debated going back inside, but Sasuke blocked the entrance.

He turned, letting out his anger at Sasuke, because he couldn't direct his confusion any other way. "Why are you following me?" he demanded. "Did the Hokage assign you as a bodyguard to me or something?" He refused to refer to the Hokage as his father, or that fake-Yondaime as the Hokage.

"You might trip on your feet and hit your head again. I can't have you forgetting your name next."

Naruto glared at him before turning away and marching down the street.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I want to find out what's going on just as much as you do," he said, allowing himself to give Naruto a straight answer.

Naruto just shook his head at that. He supposed he'd been hoping for too much that Sasuke would just _let_ him leave him behind. "You seem to have all the answers," he said bitterly. "Just leave me to figure things out on my own for once." He glared. "Or don't you think I'm smart enough for that?"

"Would you rather I accompany you or pretend to leave and follow you anyway?"

Naruto clenched his fists, knowing that starting a fight wasn't worth the aggravation. Although it could perhaps relieve him of some tension.

"Fine," he bit out, "but stay out of my way." He turned, completely ignoring Sasuke as he continued down the street toward his apartment. He kept his chin level and his eyes forward despite the overwhelming urge to duck his head at the friendly smiles the villagers were giving him. In a way, it was almost worse than the glares.

_Are they being nice because somehow they were all brainwashed into thinking that I'm the Yondaime's son... and he's still alive?_ he thought angrily to himself. It was hypocritical and he realized with a shock that that was how Sasuke had been treated all his life. They never knew the hurt, angry and lonely boy beyond the clan name.

He sighed, not wanting to apologize but realizing one was in order. "Look, I'm sorry," he said, not looking at Sasuke, his back still stiff. "I'm just... confused." _More than confused._

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, stepping up beside Naruto, letting their arms brush momentarily.

Naruto let the smallest of smiles curl his lips. It was Sasuke's roundabout way of accepting his apology.

They walked on in silence, Naruto studiously ignoring the looks the villagers were giving him. Some, though, he couldn't help taking note of. One villager--a man carrying a large box--looked at both him and Sasuke and shook his head, a disapproving frown on his face. Naruto couldn't decipher what that look meant.

He looked at Sasuke, bewildered. "What's with him?" he asked. Things around town looked the way they always had; there wasn't anything amiss that he could tell right off, at least. "You'd think that he never saw us walking next to each other before." Sasuke had more openly become his friend after he returned, not caring or ignoring the dirty looks that got thrown Naruto's way. He more often than not glared at the offending party and they scuttled away.

Sasuke glared after the man Naruto referred to and shook his head. "You said you didn't remember your hissy fit about 'what people would say', right?"

"Um...yeah?"

"Then forget it. It's not important anyway."

Naruto sighed and let it pass. He didn't need more things to confuse him anyway. They passed a street that opened up to reveal a clear view of the Hokage mountain. Naruto cast it a cursory glance and looked away...and then did a double take, bewildered at the absence of the fifth's stone visage.

"Her.. it.. the old hag's face is gone." Naruto shook his head, completely confused by the loss. He turned to Sasuke. "Okay, now I know I've lost it." Without any warning, he passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 2 **

Naruto blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around the room and was immediately hit with a sense of deja vu. He groaned softly, and ran a hand over his face. Apparently, passing out _hadn't_ set the world right again. He flopped back onto the bed, flinging his arms out at his sides. He flinched when his left arm hit something warm and solid. Turning on his side, his startled gaze met Sasuke's pale face. Dark eyes were blinking away drowsiness after being jostled awake.

"Holy fuck!" He shouted, about to bolt out of bed when an arm grabbed his and hauled him back down again.

"You were sleeping just fine a moment ago," Sasuke said irritably. "I don't see what the problem is, Naruto." His expression held the vaguest hint of hurt at the rejection he was apparently getting.

"You....what...why are you in bed with me?!" he shouted.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the noise Naruto was making and lifted himself up, resting his weight on his elbow. "I fell asleep," he said simply.

"But we..." Naruto groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. The last thing he remembered was walking through the village and...the Hokage mountain. "Nnn.....someone wake me up _please_."

"You _are_ awake, moron."

Naruto buried his head underneath his pillow, evidently trying to smother himself in the sheets. "No, I have to be dreaming." His voice was extremely muffled, but Sasuke caught most of the words. "Sasuke wouldn't be in bed with me if I wasn't dreaming." His shoulders hunched. "Even Sasuke isn't that good of a friend."

Only the sheets heard whatever he muffled next and if Sasuke didn't intervene, it seemed that Naruto really would do something stupid like suffocate himself in the bedding.

Sasuke dragged the pillow out of Naruto's hands and away from his face before crawling on top of Naruto. Naruto's eyes just about fell out of their sockets.

"What are you doing?!" he shrieked, bucking his hips to throw the man off him. Bad idea.

"You haven't been this shy since the first time, Naruto," Sasuke muttered, his hands circling Naruto's wrists and pinning them to the bed.

Naruto tried to swallow but his throat had closed and he choked on his saliva instead.

His eyes grew even wider as Sasuke smirked, leaning down to trace the line of Naruto's jaw with his lips.

"Fi... first... time?" Naruto managed to get out. "We... I... you...." He couldn't move his hands, any struggling seemed to... His train of thought abruptly derailed as he realized how much Sasuke was enjoying this. _Oh, shit... _

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Sasuke's tongue flick across his jaw and lower, leaving a damp trail down his neck.

He knew for certain now that he had to be dreaming or trapped in a genjutsu or _something_. Dead hokages did not come back, and certainly not as his father, and Sasuke would not be on top of him having his way with Naruto's neck. Swallowing hard, he counted backwards from 100, abruptly losing count when Sasuke slid a knee between his thighs.

He couldn't help his own reaction, he who had loved Sasuke for far too long--and he only prayed to whatever gods were listening that this wasn't just some cruel joke, that Sasuke wasn't doing this because he was controlled or was plotting revenge or blackmail later. He wanted it to be real, like he wanted him having a father to be real.

"Sa...sasuke..." His eyes were slightly out of focus, and he got one of his hands loose enough to reach up to Sasuke's face, blue eyes peering at him. "Maybe I'll stay in this dream a little while longer."

Sasuke paused in his ministrations long enough to give Naruto an amused look. "A dream?" He cupped Naruto's hand on his cheek, squeezing gently. "Don't I feel real to you?" He leaned downward, lips skimming across Naruto's, his breath warm and real against Naruto's mouth.

Naruto looked up into Sasuke's eyes, a warmth there that he wasn't used to seeing, and answered honestly, "I don't know anymore."

Sasuke's gaze softened and he gently ran his fingers over the whisker marks on Naruto's face. "I'm not going to leave you, Naruto." His voice was firm, his other hand releasing Naruto's to run down his side, fingers ghosting over the skin. "I'm real, and I'm going to prove it to you."

Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke began tugging at his shirt. "Wait, what are you--?"

Sasuke smirked and, seeing as Naruto wasn't cooperating, he sat up, straddling Naruto's hips, and shucked off his own shirt instead.

"Whoa, whoa, no taking off clothes!" Naruto watched Sasuke's shirt fly across the room with wide eyes.

He was starting to feel the mounting panic, and he wasn't sure if he should beat the hell out of Sasuke for doing this, or just say 'to hell with it' and enjoy his fucked up dreams. He never really had one quite so real before, and it was disturbing how much he liked it. And how much Sasuke liked it. And ...was he pinching his nipples?

Naruto yelped and bucked again, but Sasuke only tightened his thighs at either side of Naruto's hips. He quickly determined that if having his nipples pinched hadn't woken him up then either this wasn't a dream or he was in a pretty deep sleep. His hormones warred with his logic. On the one hand, a frisky Sasuke was definitely a plus. On the other hand, a frisky Sasuke was definitely NOT a common occurrence. _Yes_, he thought. _Definitely a dream._

And what were dreams but to be enjoyed? He'd wake up in the morning, Sasuke would be a bastard like usual, but still his friend, he wouldn't know who his father was and the Yondaime would be dead. All three of those thoughts made him inexplicably sad, but one couldn't change the past.

But if this Sasuke was real, that meant every other crazy thing he'd awoken to that day was real. If Naruto had to seriously think about it, he could honestly say that he was content with his life. He was a good ninja and the Hokage respected that about him. Sasuke was his best friend and even though he loved the man, friendship was enough for him as long as Sasuke stayed beside him. As he clung to Sasuke, feeling the other man's heart beat wildly against his chest, he knew it couldn't be real. But right then, he desperately wished it otherwise.

He swallowed, eyes bright and uncertain before he closed them and held on tighter to Sasuke. With a move fueled by desperation and long-suppressed emotions, he kissed Sasuke; for one selfish moment, he pretended it was real, he let himself believe that he could be loved like this, that it was _Sasuke_ who could love him like this.

He turned his face into a pale neck as Sasuke's strong hands slipped beneath his shirt, calloused palms smoothing up his sides. "Sasuke," he whispered, digging his fingers through dark hair.

Sasuke's hips moved against his and he muffled a groan against the skin of Sasuke's neck.

Distantly, they heard a voice shout, "I'm home!"

Sasuke swore but his grip didn't loosen. "He won't come in here," he murmured comfortingly. His hips moved again and he was gratified when Naruto responded back, a muffled groan issuing from his mouth.

Naruto opened his mouth wide, his breath growing ragged as he ground upward, just as the door was thrown open and a very amused Yondaime stood in the doorway. "Oh."

Naruto choked on a groan, pleasure being quickly replaced with panic. He seized Sasuke's shoulders and pushed. When Sasuke refused to budge, he began to squirm in earnest.

"God, Naruto, stop acting like a girl," Sasuke muttered, rolling off the thrashing man.

"I see you guys got things straightened out. Good. Come down for dinner when you're ready." With that, the Yondaime turned and left the pair, one bright red and the other rather put out at being interrupted.

Naruto shoved at Sasuke, wanting to hide his face in the pillow again, but Sasuke had already thrown it in the direction of his shirt. He clenched and unclenched his hands.

He had no idea how he would ever look at Sasuke again and not remember this moment. He cleared his throat, aiming for some semblance of normality. "So, uh, was I out for that long?"

Sasuke nodded, having stood to retrieve his shirt. "All day."

"Sorry," Naruto murmured, not quite certain what he was apologizing for but feeling it necessary nonetheless.

Sasuke snorted, his lips quirking. "You scared a few of the villagers."

Naruto shrugged at that, moving off the bed and somehow disappointed as the lingering warmth left him. "That's nothing new," he said, no inflection in his tone at all. "They're always scared of me." His lips quirked slightly as he looked over at Sasuke. "Sorry you felt the need to watch over me all day. Must've been boring to make sure I didn't hurt myself in my sleep."

Sasuke pulled his shirt on and tugged it down, frowning at the slight droop in Naruto's shoulders. He approached Naruto's side and reached out to touch his cheek. In mid-action, he changed his mind and smacked Naruto's head instead. Naruto turned to him with a scowl, rubbing the back of his head.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, idiot. I promised you we'd figure things out, didn't I?"

Naruto gaped at the action that was so purely _Sasuke_ that he reacted as he normally would. He scowled and returned the hit. "Who the hell says I'm feeling sorry for myself?" he demanded. "It isn't any of your business what people say about me; I certainly don't care." He stalked out of the room, features set in a frown.

He was halfway down the stairs when he remembered the other presence in the house. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath to steady himself, and continued down to the kitchen. Just like that morning, the Yondaime was sitting at the table with three plates readied for them. Naruto's stomach growled loudly at the sight of the food.

The blond man looked up from his tea and smiled. "Didn't Sasuke feed you today?"

Naruto growled and shook his head, uncertain of how to move around this stranger. "No. I was asleep." He suddenly scowled as he carefully sat down across from the older man. "And why would he need to feed me, anyways? Both of you are acting like he's some sort of watchdog for me. Am I that damn helpless?" he gritted out. His happy mood--provided by Sasuke no less--was rapidly diminishing.

Yondaime's smile grew sheepish and he rubbed the back of his head in a gesture Naruto was much too familiar with. "Now, Naruto, you have to admit you were acting pretty strange this morning. And since Sasuke's your boyfriend, I figured he'd be the best choice to help you...why are you looking at me like that?"

At the word 'boyfriend," Naruto had stopped breathing and his face was turning red, his eyes bulging.

"He's my best friend!" he shouted, jumping up from the table and about two seconds away from bolting completely. "He doesn't like me that way... he..." Naruto blushed, recalling what they'd only just been doing upstairs. "Well, he didn't like me _before_," he amended hastily. "He... we understand each other and he's my friend, my best friend... and..." He was babbling and he hated it, but he didn't know what else to do or say to that statement. "And what does it matter if I'm acting strange?" he demanded. "It's not of any concern to you or to him--I don't need a guard." His look was set.

Yondaime looked torn between telling his son to shut up or laughing at Naruto's flustered appearance. He chose instead to gesture to Naruto's seat. "Sit down. We need to talk."

Naruto opened his mouth to refuse but the look in the Yondaime's eyes told him it would probably be wise to shut his mouth and obey. Telling himself he needed answers anyway, he sat down and stared at his plate. His stomach growled again.

It was more of a subconscious reaction to obey the Hokage--and every sense Naruto possessed said that this _was_ the Hokage, in this messed up dream his. There might have been something else that was making him react, but he didn't investigate that too closely. It hurt when he thought that this person with too-familiar features could be his father. He stared down at his plate and poked at the food with his chopsticks. "What do you want to talk about? How weird I'm acting?"

"I know how you are Naruto, and you're not _this_ strange, even if some might say otherwise." He smiled at that last part, and Naruto sent him a thinly veiled glare.

"Is Sasuke coming down?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged.

The Yondaime sighed and set down his chopsticks. "Naruto, look at me."

Naruto continued to stare down at his plate, his heart lodged somewhere in his chest and aching painfully. He had heard that tone before, never directed toward him, though. _I'm eighteen_, he thought fiercely. _I've gotten over the fact long ago that I don't have a father. Lots of people didn't have fathers_. The Yondaime frowned.

"Naruto." His tone promised some type of punishment.

Gritting his teeth, he looked up. He was momentarily taken aback at the blatant concern in the man's blue eyes and something else that made his chest constrict. People weren't supposed to look at him like that, he thought, like they cared about how he was feeling, like...like a father would a son.

"Tell me, Son," he said, noticing Naruto flinch just barely at his word choice. "What's wrong? You know you can talk to me."

Naruto shook his head, his blue eyes glossy with pent up emotion. "I don't know you," he whispered.

The Yondaime stared at him for a moment, caught in his disbelief. Naruto wasn't joking... this angry young man who hid his emotions too well, who knew the rasengan and blushed at the thought of Sasuke being his boyfriend. Something was terribly wrong.

"Naruto, what's the last thing you remember about me?" he asked carefully, watching Naruto's face.

Naruto's lips compressed into a hard line. He didn't know why he was hesitating to tell the man that he should be dead. There really was no plausible way that he could actually be the Yondaime "_If_ you're who you say you are, the last thing _anyone_ remembers about you is that you died sealing the kyuubi."

"The Sandaime sacrificed himself, Naruto." His eyes watched his son carefully. "I... I chose you because I knew you would be strong. There was no one else... and..." He closed his eyes tightly and reached around the table, pulling his son into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I had no idea that it still bothered you. Why didn't you say anything?" He pulled back long enough to search Naruto's eyes. "You said that I had _died_?" He made a face that was one that Naruto made a thousand times. "Geez, Naruto."

It seemed the Yondaime had come to the wrong conclusion about Naruto's behavior. Naruto was stiff in the man's arms but he didn't push him away. He _couldn't_ push him away, couldn't give up the simple but treasured comfort of a father's embrace. It was something he'd longed for his entire life and now that he was an adult, having given up the wishes of a lonely child, here he was. He stood there, unable to do anything but allow this man who looked like so much like him--or rather, who _he_ looked so much like--hold him.

He didn't know why he never made the connection before. Maybe because it was too silly of a dream, and he'd given up thoughts like those from a very young age--even before he became a ninja in full. To have the Yondaime as his father... to be faced with this... He pulled away after a moment, clearing his throat and looking away.

"How do I normally act?" he asked finally. Maybe he was totally different in his dreams--maybe... just ... he didn't know what he wanted. He sure as hell didn't want to change.

The Yondaime smiled encouragingly and if he thought the question was exceedingly peculiar, he gave no indication of it. He let one arm drop, the other resting on Naruto's shoulders. "You're loud, a little exuberant at times, almost always enthusiastic about your work and when you're not, you make a note of telling everyone." He laughed at Naruto's disgruntled expression. "You're just like me when I was young."

Naruto let himself smile a bit at that. They retook their seats and Naruto had just picked up his chopsticks when Sasuke appeared at the table. Naruto suspected that he had been listening in the entire time.

Naruto looked up, eyes flicking over to this Yondaime, and couldn't resist asking. Hey--it was still his dream. "So is the reason why Sasuke acts like my bodyguard half the time because he's going to be beneath me one day?"

He mentally patted himself on the back as the other man promptly choked on his rice.

Sasuke reached out to swat at Naruto's head but he dodged the hand, snickering into his napkin.

Sasuke smiled and shook his head, feeling suddenly much less anxious about how Naruto had just behaved with his father. If Naruto was cracking jokes, then he had to be alright.

Naruto gave the Yondaime an innocent look, but his eyes were bright with amusement. It was mighty fun to tease this person. "You picked someone else to succeed you when you get too old to move." He heaved a mock sigh. If he could harass Tsunade-bachan about her age, he could certainly poke fun at this supposed father of his.

"Naruto," the Yondaime said, arranging his expression into one of mock seriousness, "a Hokage requires great wisdom and strength. I passed one of those onto you." He shook his head and frowned, brows drawn in exaggerated regret. "What happened to the other?"

Sasuke smirked and propped up his chin in one hand. "Well, I think both got lost along the way, actually." Naruto glared at him and tackled him to the ground--it was routine for him to beat up on Sasuke at least once a day. "I could kick your ass any day!" He belatedly realized the rest of the question. "And I got both of them!" He smirked at the Yondaime. "And how can you pass on what you don't have?"

The Yondaime chuckled and watched the boys pick themselves off the floor. "Alright, alright, I concede. Your mother was always smarter than I was anyway."

At that, Naruto fell silent. The Yondaime frowned at his son and asked, "What is it now?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's enough trying to deal with suddenly having a father; don't bring up this mother stuff too, ok?"

The older man's jaw tightened at Naruto's behavior. There had been times in the past when Naruto had awoken dazed and confused because of the kyuubi's influence, but the haze had never extended on for more than a few minutes.

Sasuke frowned and rested one hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto," he started.

Naruto shrugged it off, resuming his place at the table but determined to keep the teasing mood from earlier. "Glad to see I got some brains." He sighed dramatically. "Since I had to depend on _you_. How did you become Hokage, anyways?" He smirked. "Win a bet?"

The Yondaime forced a grin, although it wasn't quite as bright as before. "Of course not. It was a contest."

Sasuke snorted, humoring the man. "What kind of contest?"

The man stacked his hands behind his head and said perfectly casually, "Not for kids to know." His expression was one of innocence, one that Naruto wore when playing one of his pranks.

Naruto snorted at that. "Yeah, and try pulling the other one." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah---so you were super strong." He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "But I figured out rasengan before you did."

The Yondaime snorted. "Beginner's luck." But he said it with a smile that spoke of respect and perhaps even a bit of pride.

Naruto found he couldn't find anything to say to that. So he didn't. If he woke up tomorrow and he was in his small apartment, alone again, then he wanted to remember that look in the eyes of the man who could have been his father.

"Now tell me. What else did Jiraiya-sama teach you?"

Naruto blinked and tilted his head, making a face. "When he actually _taught_ me anything, instead of doing his perverted research." He rolled his eyes, then suddenly grinned. "I can summon Gamabunta." He thought for a moment. "Mmm, several levels of Rasengan and most of the Yon...your things."

The Yondaime grimaced. "I will _definitely_ have to talk to the old pervert. It's one thing teaching you so many things he taught me, but exposing you to his lewd ways at such a young age..." He shook his head. "But you say you can summon Gamabunta?" He laughed and slapped his leg in mirth. "Does Gamabunta _let_ you ride him?"

Naruto grinned, looking a little sheepish. "Er...sometimes. The first time I summoned him, I told him I could survive all day on his back and I did! That was how he let me summon him again after that." His look was fierce and proud. "See--I am strong." He glared at Sasuke. "And I don't need a bodyguard. I'm a shinobi and a damn good one."

"You _are_ a good shinobi," the Yondaime agreed.

For some reason, coming from him, it made Naruto feel like holding his head a little higher, his back a little straighter. This man didn't just _look_ like the Yondaime, he held himself with a kind of power that only a Hokage could wield. Naruto decided that if this was indeed a dream, then his mind was really quite creative.

Naruto's eyes brightened and his look was intense as he focused on the Yondaime. "Good enough to become Hokage one day?" His dream of _just_ being acknowledged had changed, and transmuted into protecting those he cared about. He wanted to protect people, he wanted them to trust him with the knowledge that he would do everything he could to protect them.

"I want ..." He clenched one hand, uncertain. "Would it be too strange to say that I want to do what you did for Konoha?"

"No, Naruto," the Yondaime said, smiling gently. "It wouldn't be strange at all. Wanting to protect Konoha is very honorable. Let's just hope it won't involve a demon fox, huh?"

Naruto's eyes grew solemn at the comment, even though it was said in jest. "Yeah," he said. His hand unconsciously moved to his stomach.

Sasuke reached out and brushed his hand against Naruto's arm. Naruto flinched and gave the man a funny look, still a bit weirded out by Sasuke's attention. But he recovered quickly and smiled his thanks.

Yondaime wrinkled his nose at him. "You _are_ first in line to become my successor, Naruto." He poked him in the ribs. "Just don't go counting me off as useless yet, hm? I've still got quite a bit of time before I find myself weak enough to pass on the title."

Sasuke noticed how Naruto responded to his comfort and gave an internal grin. So he was acting a little more normal—this was good. His hand traced over Naruto's before intertwining their fingers.

Naruto squeezed gently, finding reassurance in Sasuke's touch, even if it was unusual for him. He knew that if he awoke tomorrow in his apartment, when he saw Sasuke again, the Sasuke he knew would acknowledge him with a grunt and nod of his head and the extent of their contact would be fists connecting during a spar. He squeezed a little tighter, memorizing the feel of Sasuke's hand in his.

"Naruto." His gaze flicked up to the Yondaime. "I want you to show me all that that idiot teacher of mine taught you, so I can see how you are at it." He grumbled. "If I had known that he'd taught you such dangerous moves at such a young age...I don't know why you don't tell me these things."

Naruto shrugged it off, picking at his meal again and making note of how good it tasted. He didn't eat more than ramen usually--toast and milk for breakfast, but other than that, it just wasn't worth the time to make a big meal for only himself. He marveled that food could taste so good in a dream. "Why would I? Like I said... I don't remember you," he murmured.

The Yondaime was staring at his son so hard, Naruto wanted to smack his own head and tell his brain to demand his sanity return from vacation.

The older man stood and sighed, seemingly reaching a decision. "You really don't know me, do you?" he asked, the first hint of anything even remotely resembling fear in his voice.

Naruto blanched and stared down at his food. Even if this was a dream--and it had to be--if the Yondaime thought that he was a threat, if he saw Naruto wasn't his son and he was doing what Naruto thought this Yondaime person had been doing--it could be very painful on his end. He wondered fleetingly if you could die in your dreams, if a figment of your hopes and dreams could kill you.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, head bowed. "I really don't." He couldn't keep the longing out of his voice either. For the first time in a long time, his emotional walls cracked. He didn't look at Sasuke or the Yondaime--he had a feeling neither of them would really like him if they knew about him. _But it's a dream_! he told himself fiercely. _Just a stupid dream._

The Yondaime was silent for several moments, forcing back emotions that were normally easy to control. He looked at Sasuke who was staring at Naruto with an indefinable expression.

"Sasuke," he said. "Would you do me a favor and find your friend Sakura?"

Naruto looked up at that, wariness in his narrowed eyes. "What? You want her to look me over? I'm not crazy, you know." But in the back of his mind was the very real fear that maybe...maybe he was losing his mind. Dreams just weren't this real.

He was feeling that overwhelming panic again, he wanted nothing more than to just run--or fight. He closed his eyes tightly, willing himself to wake up and barely aware of Sasuke leaving. He didn't want to look at the Yondaime, he didn't want to see that expression on his face. Naruto didn't know _how_ to deal with concern, wasn't sure how to react to it. He swallowed harshly. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"I don't think you're crazy, Naruto," the Yondaime said. "I just want Sakura to make sure there wasn't any damage to your head on your mission yesterday. Did you have any injuries? Any strikes at all to your head? Faulty or mysterious jutsus?"

Naruto's breath caught. Faulty jutsus? Well...yeah, but it was so poorly performed and weak. How could that have possibly done any damage?

"Naruto?" the man repeated. "Are you going to answer me?"

Naruto gave him a nervous grin. "Eh... there was this guy that thought he could do jutsus. I got hit with it, but nothing happened!" he said hastily. "I felt fine and went home as usual." His hands clenched around his chopsticks.

The Yondaime glowered at him. "You neglected to tell me of this jutsu because?"

"Like I said, I was fine. It wasn't even powerful."

"It doesn't have to be powerful to go completely wrong. Now tell me, what kind of jutsu was it?"

Naruto frowned into his plate, trying to remember. "Well, he did a few seals. I think it might have been the tiger... no, the horse... and then the ram..." He grinned sheepishly. "And then he kind of just waved his arms around and...well, it was aimed at Shikamaru but I jumped in the way and it hit me but nothing happened." He shrugged, taking a deep breath after his long explanation.

The Yondaime hit his forehead, muttering something about idiot sons. "You should know better than tojust jump in front of a jutsu!" He glared. "It sounds like that moron didn't know what he was doing, and it's obvious that something went wrong because of it." He saw the darkening look on Naruto's face. "I'm not saying that you shouldn't protect your teammates, Naruto, but that was still foolish."

"But I'm _fine_," Naruto insisted angrily. Y_eah_, he thought, _real fine...you just woke up this morning in the same house as the Yondaime who says he's your father...and Sasuke likes to touch you._ "Shit," he said aloud.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 3**

"Shit," he said aloud.

"Yeah, 'shit' is right," the Yondaime said, rubbing his face. "Ok, so you don't remember me" --he was Hokage but it was difficult even for him to hide the pain at that thought-- "then how could you have grown up without a parent?" he asked reasonably.

Naruto's face closed off at that. "I didn't have any," he said softly. "All I was told was that my parents died when I was born, and that no one wanted to take care of me. The Sandaime looked in on me every now and then but..." He shrugged, surprised to note that it still bothered him, long after he thought it shouldn't. "I can't remember who cared for me when I was a baby, but for as long as I _can_ remember, the entire village loathed my existence, so I raised myself." His eyes were defiant. "See why I didn't need anybody?"

The Yondaime had gone silent, his eyes widening at the truth in Naruto's face, the lingering bitterness that echoed in his voice. The man truly believed he had grown up without a father, without love, without anyone. And the Yondaime would have truly believed his son had lost his mind if not for the fierce glint of a stable mind behind those haunted eyes.

"They never said who my father was," Naruto offered softly. "For all I know, you _could_ be my father. I think I always wanted that." Bile rose in his throat as he realized he was almost taking it as fact that this person was real--as real as delusions could be. "I guess I'm not acting a whole lot like your son. I'm sorry for that." He ran a hand over his face, wishing for the stability of his memories, of his familiar apartment, his life. "Going to lock me up now?" he joked.

"Of course not," the Yondaime said, beginning to clear away the plates, needing something to keep his hands busy. "Whether you remember it or not, you're still my son."

Naruto watched him clean up, wondering whether or not he should help. Looking at the older man hurt his heart and his head, so he stood and left the room, slumping onto the sofa in the living room. He looked around, noticing for the first time the modern features of the house he was supposed to have grown up in, a house he _might_ have grown up in had his life been different.

It wasn't his place, though; he couldn't feel comfortable here, he didn't know how to react. He stood and started pacing again, needing to do something--occupy his hands, his mind--block out the weirdness of what was going on. He was starting to doubt his own memories, but it wasn't as if that overwhelming loneliness he'd felt his entire life could be made up. This was the dream; he needed to wake up from it.

He clenched and unclenched his fists, a sob rising in his throat. It wasn't fair--it was like someone was having sadistic pleasure out of taunting him with what he could have had his entire life. His gaze was suddenly caught by a picture on a table.

Swallowing thickly, he reached out, lifting the frame and cradling it in his hands. A slightly younger version of the man moving about in the kitchen was smiling from behind the glass. Perched on his shoulders was a young child with messy blond hair, blue eyes glittering with laughter, and marks on round cheeks that Naruto had always wondered about as a child. Draped over the child's small shoulders was the Yondaime's cloak. It trailed down the backs of the two figures, the flames catching the light behind them.

Naruto swore suddenly and turned, punching the wall hard enough to leave a dent and set other items hanging there shaking wildly, a few falling to the ground. He collapsed to his knees, hugging the frame and what it represented. Some part of him--a large part of him--wanted to never wake up from this dream.

As he stared at the floor, his head throbbing with the implications of everything around him, the front door opened. Sasuke walked in, followed closely by Sakura.

Naruto stood from his slump on the floor and looked at her closely, scrutinizing her appearance, searching for a sign that this was the Sakura he had known since childhood.

She smiled cheerfully at him. "Sasuke says you might have a bump on the head, Naruto." She grinned. "I've been telling Sasuke for _years_ that there was something slightly off in there."

He gave her a dumbfounded stare. He and Sakura had become closer since Sasuke had run off that one time, but she was never quite so cheerful and nice to him--well, not like this. She'd never treated him as if they'd been friends for ages even though, technically, they had been.

He sat down warily, eyeing her. "I was hit by a jutsu yesterday," he said carefully. "I think it may have made things a little... off."

She continued to smile, mischief dancing in her eyes. "I'm not so convinced it was the jutsu but let's have a look, hm?"

Naruto sat up straighter as she took a seat beside him. She reached out to touch his face and he stiffened his spine against the urge to lean away. Warm hands, heated by the chakra at her fingertips, brushed his temples, moving back into his hair and down to the base of his skull.

She frowned lightly. "Things seem ok..."

He perked up a little, Sakura sounded unsure. "What do you see?" he asked eagerly. "There has to be something off." He pointed a finger at Sasuke. "Everyone is acting weird, but they all say that _I'm_ acting weird."

"He says he was hit by a poorly performed jutsu yesterday." The Yondaime had entered the room, leaning against the back of the sofa, watching Sakura work.

"Well, his chakra system seems to be a little overactive at the moment," Sakura said, confusion in her voice as her warm fingers skimmed Naruto's skin.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Were you in a big battle yesterday, Naruto?" she asked, hands dropping.

"No. I'd hardly even call it a skirmish."

"Well, your chakra system is telling me it's recovering from a huge use of chakra, and it's not only yours--the kyuubi's as well."

Naruto's eyes went wide at that, one hand automatically dropping to his stomach. "I don't know what it could be doing... unless..." His face looked reflective as his mind frantically tried to think of a reason behind what was going on. "I..." _Would dream people know they were dream people?_ he wondered to himself. "I think I'm dreaming," he finally said. "Trapped... trapped in a genjutsu."

There--easy enough to lay out. They shouldn't get too worried over something like that, and the dream people would have a solution, wouldn't they? After all, it was _his_ imagination and surely, his mind would _want_ to help himself out, he thought, paying no heed to the fact that his thoughts made no sense.

Sakura gave him a funny look and Sasuke would have slapped his head if he wasn't afraid it'd damage Naruto's brain further.

"Naruto," Sakura said, humoring him, "you know how to get out of a genjutsu. Just fuse some chakra through your body. And if that doesn't work, then someone outside of the illusion only has to touch you with their chakra. Don't you think if you were in a genjutsu, _someone_ would have broken you out of it by now?"

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip, not quite ready to accept that explanation just yet because of what it would imply otherwise.

"Maybe no one else is around. I do live alone," he pointed out, not responding to the surprised look that Sakura shared with Sasuke and continuing. "And I'm not the greatest at it," he added softly. "Especially if it's..." He suddenly jumped up, shaking his head and pacing again. "But that'd be impossible. He's dead and the only other one would _never_ do that to me..."

"Naruto, who are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms and frowning at Naruto's behavior.

Naruto only spared him a quick glance as if unable to look at him. "No one; it's nothing."

"Tell us, Naruto. Please," Sakura said, reaching out to touch his arm. He stopped pacing and sighed.

"The only person I know strong enough to create so convincing a genjutsu and who would _want_ to do this to me..." He gave Sasuke an apologetic look. "...is Itachi. And he's dead."

Sasuke's eyes smoldered at that. "Yes, he _is_ dead, Naruto." He shook his head, trying to control his own temper at the mention of his brother. "Then, stupid, if he's dead, there's no one else that could do this to you." He frowned and turned to Sakura. "What is wrong with him?" he demanded. "He doesn't even remember his own father!"

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know. Unless the jutsu yesterday messed around with your memory—which it didn't because the chakra channels surrounding that part of your brain aren't damaged—I can't explain it."

"Well then, what the hell is going on? I can't think of any of this as real. I'm still hoping to wake up and find things _normal_ again."

Sasuke reached out to Naruto, who had begun pacing again, and grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt, staring straight into Naruto's eyes. "Look, Naruto. You're not going to tell me that my entire life has been nothing but an illusion from your demented head. _My_ memories, _my_ feelings, don't you dare try to tell me they aren't real!"

Naruto shoved at Sasuke, turning his anger and frustration on the only person that ever understood him. "Are you telling me I'd _make up_ an entire life of having Konoha wish that I was never born?" he hissed out. "To walk down the street and hear whispers all the time?" He shook his head, eyes stinging. "To have my only friend want to kill me for power?" He let his head fall on Sasuke's chest. "Tell me, Sasuke... don't you think I'd rather have this life?"

Sasuke looked over to the Yondaime, not knowing what to say anymore.

"You guys remember one life; I remember another. It's like...two completely different worlds!"

The Yondaime started at Naruto's outburst, a crease forming between his brows. Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question but the man remained silent.

Naruto rubbed his cheek against Sasuke's shoulder. "Sasuke." He opened his eyes and suddenly felt the room tilt and blur.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, pushing at Naruto. "You've been acting weird all day, even for you. Haven't you gone to see Tsunade-sama yet about what the hell is wrong with your brain?" He snorted. "I'm sure something that's rattling up there has come loose."

Naruto, barely hearing Sasuke's scalding remark, looked around the room..._his_ room, or rather, his apartment. The broken window where some idiot children had thrown a rock through it; the pile of shuriken cluttering his one and only desk; and Sasuke who was stiff in his arms, his biting words coming back to jar his mind out of its sudden stupor.

He made a face, rubbing a hand through his hair. "What...why...?" he asked, brow creased in confusion as he tried to process what had just happened. "I'm not the one acting weird here! Is it my fault the entire world decided to go postal?" _Wait, it was only a genjutsu after all! Was Sasuke the one who put me under, or did he bring me out of it? Judging by the way he's acting, he probably brought me out of it._ "So you're the one that touched me!" he exclaimed, latching onto Sasuke in a grateful hug.

Sasuke abruptly pushed Naruto away and glared at him. _Whoa_, Naruto thought, _now **there's **a familiar sight_. "When I came to check up on you earlier, you tried to molest me and demanded I take you home!" Sasuke looked incredibly pissed and Naruto could probably guess that it was because he was confused. Sasuke _hated_ being confused.

"I...Sasuke, tell me something," he asked experimentally. "When did you find out I could use the rasengan?"

Sasuke's brows drew in, confusion momentarily overriding his anger. "What the hell are you on about now?"

"Just answer the question!"

Sasuke looked dubious. "When you came back with that pervert teacher of yours and decided to show it off? Or on the hospital rooftop?" He wanted to shake Naruto. "What the hell is up with you lately?"

Naruto had stopped breathing, relief like nothing else shuddering through him. But along with that relief came the sharp and rather painful awareness that as confusing and troubling as the day had been, he would sincerely miss that warm smile from the man who could have been his father.

"I... Sasuke, thank God it's you. I've been...wait, huh? I've been acting weird all day? I haven't even _been_ here!" _And if it was a genjutsu, I would have just been... standing around or something. Not acting on it._ Somehow his theory of a genjutsu was falling through rather quickly.

Sasuke snorted. "You haven't been here?" he demanded. "Then was it one of your clones that decided to jump all over me or try to pin me to the door?" His eyes were narrowed in anger. "You've had some really stupid pranks in the past, Naruto, but I think you really need to get your head checked for this one."

Naruto's heart sank at the biting tones that were familiar, but when he knew what it could be like. "I tried to...jump on you?" Naruto asked tentatively, one eyebrow raised in uncertainty. "What else did I try to do?"

Naruto found the day had just gotten stranger when something that might have been a blush (although it was well-masked behind a death glare) darkened Sasuke's cheeks. "I'm _not_ going to repeat it just for your sadistic pleasure, Naruto. Now have you gotten over your most recent bout of stupid yet or what?" He snorted and shook his head in exasperation. "Going on about a _father_. Idiot."

Naruto froze and pulled away from Sasuke, eyes wide and that pain in his chest blossoming again. "A father?" He gave a nervous laugh and tried to hide how shocked he was. "Now I know you're making things up, Sasuke. I don't have a father, remember?"

"_I_ know you don't have a father," Sasuke said, controlling his impatience at seeing the effect the mention of a father had on Naruto. "You're the one who was asking me where he was and why you were here...your own apartment!"

Naruto's head spun. "That can't be right..."

"Look, I don't know what's wrong with you today, but go talk to the Hokage or something." Sasuke shifted on his feet, having never been very good at reassuring people. "I'm sure she can figure it out."

Naruto rubbed his head, turning away from Sasuke and shuffling through his things on the table. "I already had a talk with one and he was convinced I was nuts," he muttered under his breath. "Look, I'll go talk to the old hag." That was at least reassuring. He knew the Yondaime had died and this Sasuke was a bastard. He shook his head free of the lingering feeling of warmth the dream Sasuke provided him. His hands shook and he avoided looking at Sasuke. "I think you should get your head examined too. Honestly... me talking about having a father." One hand closed around the hilt of kunai and he slammed the point into the wood. "Dreams don't come true."

"Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice low but rough with the attempt at trying not to sound like he cared too much. He frowned at the droop in Naruto's shoulders and sighed. He reached out to Naruto.

Naruto gripped the edge of the table as a warm hand touched his shoulder...and once again, his vision blurred and the world tilted.

He was staring into the dark, concerned eyes of Sasuke and he yelped and fell backwards, landing on his behind. "D... don' t surprise me like that!" he shouted, eyes flicking around the room. He was dreaming again. But he realized that it couldn't be a dream, not after seeing... He felt everyone looking at him, and he couldn't meet their gazes. Maybe they finally figured out what was going on, too.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, looking bewildered. "You..."

Naruto looked around, noticing Sakura's confusion and the Yondaime's equally puzzled look. "What?" he asked, somehow feeling as if they knew something he didn't.

"Naruto, don't you know what you just did?" Sakura asked softly, her green eyes staring at him, searching for affirmation.

Naruto shook his head, dread pressing down on him.

"You were acting like yourself again," Sasuke said bluntly. "You looked around the room then launched yourself at me and begged me not to push you away again. Then you threw yourself at your father."

Naruto looked over to the Yondaime to find that he was now standing beside Sakura.

"But—" Sasuke's eyes were concerned and he hauled Naruto against him. "—now you're acting like you're scared of me again." He glared at Naruto, shaking him by the shoulders. "Just what is going on here?" he demanded. "You're bouncing around like a damn ping pong ball!"

"I..." Naruto looked around the room again, waiting for the room to blur back into his apartment, for the Sasuke shaking him to suddenly push him away and tell him to go to Tsunade-bachan and get his head checked. He waited, and nothing happened.

He heard the Yondaime straighten away from the couch behind him. "Look, everyone, we're all a little confused."

Sasuke threw him a glare. "A little?"

Naruto couldn't help but share the look, a small laugh issuing from him. "I think I want to go back to bed and wake up in the morning where things are normal," he muttered weakly. But at the same time, he didn't want to give up the thought of having a father. That brief sliver of time back in his apartment and the unavoidable fact that in his reality, the Yondaime was dead...had left him vaguely empty.

"Sakura, there's nothing wrong with his memory, right?" the Yondaime asked, ignoring the twin glares directed at him.

"Nothing. Except for that his system is still recovering from whatever it did, everything is in tact." Sakura let her worried gaze fall on Naruto.

"Alright then. Let's just go to sleep and we'll try to sort this all out again tomorrow. Agreed?"

Sakura nodded and stood. She gave the Hokage a deferential nod and turned to the two men beside her.

Naruto bit his lip, unable to meet her gaze, but still giving her a gentle hug. She had been a support for him for a short while, both of them trying to deal with the loss of Sasuke, of working together with Kakashi, devoid of the third member of their team. "Thank you for trying," he whispered.

She nodded. "Take care of yourself, hm? I don't like being invited over just to check up on your health."

He forced an apologetic smile. "I promise to invite you over for dinner next time." Regardless of _where_ he was at the time, here in this...illusion or whatever it might be...or back in his own familiar, safe world, he swore to himself to keep the promise.

She gave Sasuke a fleeting look and giggled, patting him on the head. "I think someone would get jealous if you paid so much attention to me again," she teased him. "But I'll come by again, Naruto." She bowed once more to the Yondaime and said a quick good-bye to Sasuke. Soon Naruto was left alone with just the Yondaime and Sasuke and he wondered what they were going to say to him next. Maybe they knew he was an imposter of ... just... whatever he was.

Instead of an interrogation, however, the Yondaime pulled him into a hug. "No matter what happens, Naruto, you will always be my son. Don't forget that."

Naruto blinked away the annoying sting at the back of his eyes and barely registered nodding in reply.

"Will you be staying here tonight, Sasuke?"

Naruto blanched and turned from the man's embrace. Sasuke looked like he was actually considering it.

The Yondaime looked thoughtful. "It may be for the best," he said, not releasing Naruto. "Naruto doesn't seem to act as confused around you." He absently ran his hand through his son's hair, noticing how he unconsciously relaxed, and smiled faintly. Some things didn't change, at least. "We'll sort this all out in the morning; I'm going to do some research."

He let his son go with a brief, "Good night" and turned away, disappearing upstairs.

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke. "You're sleeping on the sofa."

Sasuke looked affronted. "Like hell I am. You didn't seem too adverse to me sleeping next to you earlier. Or on top of you."

Naruto made a choking sound at the back of his throat, unable to come up with a proper rebuttal. "I...we...you started it!"

Sasuke smirked and leaned over Naruto, effectively pinning him to the wall. "You didn't seem to mind," he murmured into his ear. His hand cupped Naruto's cheek. "Naruto." His voice was almost pleading as warm breath ghosted across Naruto's ear, making him shudder. "I missed you."

Naruto felt the heat in his cheeks and wondered when he'd turned into a blushing teenage girl. He furiously stamped down on the blood rushing to his face. And then the blood rushed to an altogether different area of his body as Sasuke's tongue traced the shell of his ear. He closed his eyes and for a moment, he saw the Sasuke _he_ knew, eyes dark and cold, so afraid to show any emotion that might lead to weakness.

He gulped and clung to this Sasuke, some part of him whispering that in dreams, it was okay to hold on to what you always wanted for so long. He felt Sasuke stiffen briefly in surprise as his fingers dug into Sasuke's shoulders. He didn't push him away this time, letting Sasuke trail one hand down his side, rough fingers sliding up under his shirt. He took a deep breath and Sasuke took that chance to kiss him.

Naruto closed his mind off to all the doubts screaming to be heard, and lost himself in the feel of Sasuke's mouth against his. He was eighteen but he had only ever been kissed twice, excluding that incident with Sasuke at the academy when they were twelve. Once was with Sakura during the years Sasuke had been gone...and once with Neji because they'd nearly died on a mission and they hadn't really known what they were doing anyway.

He found that kissing Sasuke was entirely different from kissing Neji, and their first 'kiss,' if it could even be called that, never prepared him for the way Sasuke's body pushed him into the wall, the way his hands moved so assuredly over his body, the way his own body responded to Sasuke's caresses. He found himself kissing back, not caring for the moment.

He opened his mouth, Sasuke's tongue immediately pushing in to stroke his own. Strong hands smoothed down his sides and slid around to cup his backside, squeezing gently. Naruto groaned and pressed harder into Sasuke body.

"Take it upstairs, boys," the Yondaime said, passing them by and disappearing again out the front door.

Naruto's face flushed and he was about to pull away, but Sasuke's grip on him was too strong. Sharp teeth nipped at his ear. "You heard what he said, Naruto," he murmured. "We'll be more comfortable upstairs, anyways." One hand moved around to ghost along Naruto's erection. "Or do you really want to stop?"

Naruto bit the inside of his cheeks, stifling a moan at Sasuke's light touch. He shook his head.

Sasuke smirked. "Then come on." He grasped Naruto's wrist and pulled him along behind him as he made his way upstairs, back to Naruto's room. Pushing Naruto into the bedroom, he kicked the door shut and closed in on Naruto, who had moved to stand beside the bed.

Naruto stared, transfixed as Sasuke pulled his shirt off over his head, watching the muscles in his pale chest shift and ripple with the simple movement.

_Maybe I've died_, he thought dazedly, eyes darkening as he unconsciously licked his lips. This was what he'd wanted for at least the last year, and it wasn't as if it was going to happen in reality. _Maybe I've died and this is my reward for putting up with all that shit when I was alive_. He decided that it didn't matter if he was dead, and he wound his arms around Sasuke's neck, returning the kiss to where they left off, arms tightening around Sasuke. He wanted this, needed this... this reassurance, this stability. Even if Sasuke wasn't acting like himself, it was _Sasuke_ and that was special all on its own.

Sasuke pushed him back into the bed and he went willingly, his fingers clinging hard enough to Sasuke's arms to leave bloodless marks on the alabaster skin. Sasuke crawled up onto his knees, hands fumbling with Naruto's clothes.

Naruto lifted his arms and Sasuke slipped the dark shirt off. Naruto opened his eyes, gazing up into Sasuke's flushed face, the anxious heat in his dark eyes.

He squelched the insane urge to laugh at Sasuke with a flush on his face--Sasuke never blushed, never let his emotions get the better of him like that. Of course, Sasuke was also more inclined to beat Naruto into the ground instead of pushing him into a bed.

He wondered briefly why he was thinking about such things when a warm mouth was sucking gently on the thin flesh over his collar bone. Sasuke slid his lips lower, tongue laving down his chest to whorl around a hardened nipple.

Naruto groaned, hands clutching at Sasuke's hair. "Sasuke," he whispered.

Sasuke paused and looked up, smiling tenderly at Naruto's expression. "I'm glad you still respond to me the same." He didn't know what was going on, why Naruto remembered things completely different from things Sasuke remembered, but for now, for that moment, Naruto was looking up at him the way he had always looked at him, and that was good enough for Sasuke.

Naruto tried to growl at him, but it was lost in a groan as warm hands moved down his sides again, slipping underneath him and caressing the muscles of his back. "Sa..." Naruto closed his eyes and arched his back, wanting more of this rare opportunity Sasuke was presenting him with. He wanted to respond back, wanted to do something other than squirm in Sasuke's embrace.

Naruto slid his hands down Sasuke's bare back, gently kneading the muscles there before swallowing his reserve and slipping his hands into the top of Sasuke's pants, cupping a firm backside. Sasuke smirked against Naruto's skin.

Naruto wasn't certain what he was doing, half afraid he'd turn clumsy and bite Sasuke...although maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.

He tugged Sasuke's head up, meeting his mouth again as he pushed Sasuke's hips into his, grinding against him. He couldn't help gasping at the sensation he initiated, but was gratified at Sasuke's reaction. Naruto took control of the kiss, treating it like it was just another facet of their rivalry. "Aren't you supposed to be beneath _me_, Uchiha?"

Sasuke roughly grabbed a fistful of blond hair and jerked back Naruto's head, dragging his tongue up Naruto's cheek to his jawline. "What's that, Naruto?" he breathed into the Naruto's ear.

Naruto smiled, tensed his muscles and lurched sideways, easily trapping Sasuke underneath him.

"I think," Naruto whispered with smug grin, "I like this better."

Sasuke bucked against the body on top of him, but in terms of brute strength, Naruto had always been stronger.

Naruto let his mouth barely ghost over the strong line of Sasuke's jaw, breathing in the man's scent, his muscles relaxing at just the presence of Sasuke. He moved his mouth to Sasuke's collarbone, teeth closing over the muscle there as his free hand cupped Sasuke's erection. Part of Naruto was astounded that Sasuke reacted this way because of him, and the other part of him just wasn't thinking.

Sasuke arched into his touch, a low breath hissing past his teeth. In all the years he'd known the stubborn Uchiha, Sasuke had never submitted to him. Even after Naruto had thoroughly beaten him into the ground, he had still refused to bow beneath him. Naruto wondered if touching Sasuke like this, feeling the proof of Sasuke's arousal straining beneath his pants against Naruto's palm, would evoke a similar response in the Sasuke _he_ knew.

He had always dreamed about the day he would become Hokage, and having Sasuke kneeling at his feet. Somehow that image took on a different view, and he imagined both of them like this, Sasuke's hands wrapped around his hips and his mouth.... Naruto groaned and his fingers tightened almost painfully into Sasuke's skin. His hand on Sasuke's length remained gentle, fingers exploring in growing confidence.

Sasuke gripped the waistband of his pants and jerked them downward, momentarily startling Naruto. Sasuke smirked up at him, tugging Naruto's pants down until they caught at his spread legs. "You going to keep staring at me or help me out here?"

Naruto looked away from Sasuke's suggestive smile, and made quick work of his pants, throwing them aside to join his shirt. Sasuke grinned and took hold of Naruto's boxers next.

Without warning the door was thrown open, the Yondaime standing there with his eyes closed, but still grinning. "Get dressed boys, playtime is over."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 4  
**

"Get dressed boys, playtime is over." The Yondaime ignored the twin glares directed his way, already used to this by now, and besides, this was more important.

Naruto groaned and collapsed on Sasuke's chest, eyes closing. He didn't want to be dragged away this time. "Fuck," he muttered. "What is it?"

The Yondaime grinned. "I think I figured out what's going on."

Ok, Naruto conceded. That was an acceptable reason to disrupt. He rolled off of Sasuke and quickly shrugged on his pants. He wanted to know what was going on, he reminded his body, which wasn't quite cooperating just yet. He looked over at Sasuke and the tent in the front of his pants. He quickly looked away. He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to remember the time he'd caught Ero-sennin and Tsunade-bachan making out...he grimaced.

Unfortunately, thinking about them kissing inevitably lead to thinking about kissing in general, and his mind supplied him a much nicer and more pleasurable image of him kissing Sasuke and how it could continue... He groaned and wanted to melt into the floor, especially considering the amused look the Yondaime was giving him.

Sasuke was still lying in bed, disinclined to move. "So? Are you going to tell us?" Sasuke asked impatiently, his voice gruff with pent up frustration.

"Well," he began, giving his son a cheeky grin at how Naruto was hunching his shoulders, as if curling in on himself would make his current state any less noticeable. "I remembered something I read a long time ago when Naruto mentioned feeling like there were two completely different worlds."

Sasuke finally sat up and quirked an eyebrow. "Go on," he said, curiosity piqued.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Naruto interrupted. "I wasn't serious."

The Yondaime thwacked him on the head lightly. "Hush, your father is speaking," he said, the grin stretching across his features, his eyes crinkling up. "And I was thinking that the jutsu that Naruto got hit with created a sort of parallel... " He paused as Naruto's face turned chalk-white.

"What is it, Naruto?" he asked softly, eyes immediately concerned again.

Naruto waved him off, forcing a smile on his face. "Something I ate," he muttered. "I want to hear the rest."

"Well if it's something you ate then my cooking must not be as good as I thought," he said with an amused grin.

Sasuke made an impatient gesture. "Keep going!"

"Alright, alright. Well, maybe it didn't necessarily create a parallel so much as it...opened the way."

Naruto swallowed and tried to look as calm as possible. "So I really don't belong here?" he asked quietly.

He managed a smile at the Yondaime, but it hurt--it hurt so badly to even joke about it, because if the Yondaime believed he was right in this theory, if Sasuke believed him--they wouldn't want him around--they'd face hell to get their Naruto back.

"Naruto," the Yondaime said softly, a reassuring smile on his painfully familiar face. "That thing I read--it talked about the possibility for a soul to sort of...create a shadow of itself. Do you understand what I'm saying? The same soul existing along parallel tracks." He moved forward. Naruto stepped back. He sighed, blue eyes pleading for his son to  
understand. "You're still my son, Naruto."

"How can I be?" he shot back. Being around the Yondaime made his barriers crack far too often and he reached out for anything stable to help him out. "I never knew you. I'm... I'm not the same person you raised. God, even Sasuke doesn't give a shit about me in that way!" He hunched his shoulders in on himself, eyes closing for a moment. "Someone would have told me if the Yondaime was my father."

The Yondaime's gentle smile slipped and in his eyes was reflected the sadness Naruto had felt every day of his life. "I'm not so sure," he murmured. "If I had died that day, I don't think I would have wanted you growing up with that burden."

"What burden? That my father died using his own son as a vessel for the kyuubi? It's a hell of a lot better than to have never known my father at all."

Naruto felt bad for making that sadness in the older man's eyes appear, for having anyone take a piece of the loneliness that was such a part of him that he didn't think about it anymore. He reached out, expression tentative. "Hey, I was always... proud that I was chosen," he whispered. "I used to pretend that you could be my father." His voice cracked. "And I always thought how brave it would have been to choose your own son to save the village."

He snorted and looked down at his hands. _And then I woke up and told myself to stop dreaming, that I was just some baby nearby, whose parents died during the fight._

He slowly fisted his hands and looked up again. "But I grew up strong for it. I'm a damn good shinobi and the old hag is even considering me for the Rokudaime. I've never given up on my goals. So you see, I've been doing fine on my own." He put as much conviction into his words as possible, having always believed that success, as much as failure, was not the result of fate or circumstance, but of one's own personal strength.

Sasuke hadn't said anything at this point, just absorbed both the Yondaime and Naruto's words. He snorted and gestured to the two of them. "How could you not tell that you were at least related?" he asked, trying for logic when it felt like his world was getting twisted. It wasn't that he believed in parallel worlds or souls or whatever bullshit they were spouting, but offered his own thoughts on what Naruto was saying. "You're practically twins."

For his reasoning, he received an annoyed glare from Naruto. "It's not like the stone face is incredibly accurate, you know, and that's the only image I ever saw of him until I was a genin." Naruto shook off his irritation and heaved a sigh. "I don't want to get into an argument with you." Especially since they had been just wrestling tongues a moment before.

"Ok, boys, calm down," the Yondaime said, lifting his hands in supplication, a grin on his face. "Naruto, you're still you. Everything about you is nearly the same as the Naruto I've known for eighteen years."

Naruto blinked at him, eyes wide with surprise. "I guess that I'm much happier here. People... people actually like me and ..." He frowned and indicated Sasuke. "How do you explain the fact that the Sasuke I know hates me most of the time, and this one is the exact opposite?"

The Yondaime shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't work both ways, or maybe he really does like you and you don't know it--there are a number of explanations." He sighed. "It comes down to you're still the same person, Naruto. You're my son, whether or not you think otherwise."

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke. "I'm the same person. I guess I have to admit that...despite the...intimacy" --he ruthlessly squashed the urge to blush-- "you're pretty much the same person too. You're a little nicer than he is, actually, but that's reasonable considering our circumstances." _Maybe_, he thought, _somewhere inside the Sasuke I know...is the ability to feel as openly as this Sasuke_. He almost smiled as he imagined himself with a shovel shouting, "start digging because it'll take a hell of a long time!"

Sasuke's brow rose at that. "So you really don't remember us?" he questioned. "Or... if you really are a parallel Naruto, then we don't have a relationship?"

Naruto nodded, rather matter of fact. "Well, yeah, you can barely stand me for all that we're best friends." He was nervous at the lack of reaction from the both of them. He was waiting for Sasuke to shake him and demand he bring his Naruto back.

Sasuke gazed down at his lap, his expression contemplative. "Well if he's me, then he has to feel something for you. I told you when we first decided to be together that I had wanted you for a long time...I just never said anything. Maybe..."

"Uh, sorry to interrupt but can you two continue this conversation later when I'm far, far away?" the Yondaime asked with a grimace. "Right now, let me look at your seal, Naruto. I have a feeling kyuubi has something to do with this."

Naruto gave the Yondaime a suspicious look. "Kyuubi doesn't like you too much," he said with a faint grin. He learned that when he fought Sasuke, when the fox compared him to the Yondaime and... _Ah, shit, that stupid fox was dropping hints_ _that time I 'visited' him at his cage. _It wasn't a moment he wanted to remember—since Kyuubi had wanted to kill Sasuke—but—_stupid fox. _He finally relented, standing up and shucking off his shirt. Concentrating his chakra enough to make the seal appear, he waited.

The Yondaime dropped to his knees in front of Naruto, his fingers poking lightly at the marks. He closed his eyes, fingertips lightly glowing as his chakra penetrated deeper into the barrier of the seal.

Naruto stiffened as he felt the kyuubi's chakra flare at the invasion of its cell.

The Yondaime frowned and stood up after a few moments, brow furrowed. "Well, he's not the sole reason for this... but he's a part of it. I can feel the lingering jutsu all around his cage." He snorted. "Stupid fox," he muttered.

Naruto retrieved his shirt and watched him warily. "So, what next?" he asked. "I'm sure you want things to go back to normal as soon as possible."

He stared at the floor. _Not really_, Naruto thought, answering his own question. In all honesty, he could be happy here; he had everything he'd always wanted. But. "Actually, I'm sure the Naruto you know must be having it worse than me, in a world where his father is dead and he's alone." Naruto took a breath and smiled brightly, even though it hurt to do so. "And I'm sure you're anxious to get him back."

Sasuke and the Yondaime both looked startled at that, and Naruto stood up, keeping his smile pasted to his face. "We should figure out what happened as soon as possible," he said calmly, fingers wanting to clench, eyes smarting with suppressed tears. "I mean, he has to deal with bastard Sasuke and.... " He shrugged. "Like I said, you... you need your son back. I'm used to being alone. He isn't."

"Naruto," the Yondaime said, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I already told you. You're still you. The same soul means the same person."

Naruto shrugged his hand away, not wanting to get anymore attached to this person, this kind of life.

"You know, Naruto, I didn't think of it before but you...as in, the other part of you...used to have nightmares as a child. You dreamt about how I had died and you were alone. Do you think he might have been reaching out and glimpsing into your own world?"

Naruto gave him a bland look, shaking his head. "I'm sure everyone has dreams about that. With you being the Yondaime, I'm sure the fears were doubled." He wasn't going to give in, he couldn't give in. "I used to dream that I had a father and was loved." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Dreams aren't real, they can't become real." _Except that they did. You have a father, you have Sasuke's love_. "I don't even act like your son, you said."

"It's not that you don't act like him," the Yondaime said. "You're just a little more solemn than he is. But everything else is there. Last night at the dinner table, when we were all laughing, you were you then, Naruto."

Naruto shook his head. "I was just pretending."

Sasuke abruptly stood and stalked over to him, dark angry gaze startling Naruto. "Like hell you were. You were happy, Naruto. I know you too well."

"You don't know me at all!" Naruto countered, his own anger rising.

"How about before?" Sasuke asked, his arm gesturing to the bed. "Was that pretending too?"

Naruto's face flushed a dark red at that, ignoring the Yondaime's amused look. "That was real," he muttered. "But... I've... for a long time, I've loved Sasuke." His fingers fisted into the cloth of his pants. "He... well, we're friends. We understand each other; we've been there for each other...." His eyes stared at the floor. "I... I just want this to be real." His voice cracked. "It's like... having your dreams handed to you, but you don't know the price of them."

"It is real, Naruto. Look at me; I'm real, your father's real."

"But it's not real for _me_!" Naruto shouted, not having meant for the words to come out so loudly. He gestured wildly to the room. "This! This room, this house, this entire world, it isn't real for _me_."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shoulders and lightly shook him. "Look, moron, even though he's..." he gave the Yondaime an apologetic look "dead in your...world or whatever...if the whole same soul thing is true, then this place is as much a part of you as the one you've always known. You're not alone."

"Nobody wanted me alive," he hissed. "Don't you get it? Do you have any idea of how hard it is for me to grasp the fact that I have a father? It would be like... like someone coming up to you and going, 'I'm sorry, your family really wasn't killed, it was all a joke, haha.'" His eyes blurred with tears and he wished that his heart would stop hurting. "How can it be a part of me when I was never here?"

Sasuke's hands dropped from his shoulders and he stepped back, a harsh look in his eyes at the mention of his family. "I see," he said quietly.

Naruto regretted his words but he had to make Sasuke understand. "Look, we should try to figure out how to set things right again regardless of everything," he said, straightening his spine and trying to imagine himself on a mission. Stay objective, he thought, and everything will be fine.

The Yondaime was at a loss for how to deal with Naruto. He was still his son and everything that made him who he was, and it hurt to see him struggling like this, to be in so much pain that he couldn't even smile. "Naruto." He reached out for him, clasping one shoulder and giving a mental sigh of relief when Naruto didn't pull away this time.

"Let's try to sleep on all of this, hm? Maybe tomorrow things will be a little clearer for you and we can start to find out how to..." He didn't exactly want to say "fix things." He didn't want Naruto to feel any more alienated than he already did.

But Naruto understood what he was saying and nodded faintly. "Yeah. I think I just want to sleep." _There's still that slim chance I may wake up in my own apartment._

The Yondaime gave him a measuring look. "I'm going to do some more research. In the meantime, I'm going to make sure no missions come either your or Sasuke's ways." At Naruto's protest, he held up a hand. "We can't predict this, and what would happen if whatever is going on here activated during a mission? There would be extreme confusion." He looked over at Sasuke. "Take care of him, would you?"

Sasuke nodded solemnly.

The Yondaime returned the nod, satisfied. "Well then, good-night, boys. Don't stay up too late." He gave them a wink before turning and shutting the door behind him.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke. "If you think I'm going to jump back in bed with you, you're...hey, what are you doing?" he asked, his voice rising in alarm.

Sasuke had stood and was now shrugging off his pants.

Naruto backed away, eyes wary. "Hey, it's like... I don't know... cheating on me or something." That sounded weird, even to his own ears and the look that Sasuke gave him helped confirm the thought.

Sasuke tugged at Naruto's pants next. Naruto yelped and jumped back, away from Sasuke's searching fingers.

"Look, if you're still you then I don't see what the problem is," Sasuke said, his voice impatient.

Naruto scowled at him. But hadn't he just been thinking the same thing before the Yondaime had burst into their room? This was still Sasuke, regardless of the differences that separated him from the Sasuke he was familiar with.

"Yeah.. well... but... I mean..." Naruto made a frustrated sound and ducked under Sasuke's arms, trying to stall him until he could actually justify himself. It wasn't that he didn't want it--he wanted it quite badly--but it was the fact that for some odd reason, it didn't seem fair. The Naruto that was supposed to be here was where he was supposed to be, and while it was nice that at least one version of himself had a happy life, it didn't seem quite fair to take that happiness for himself... even if it was himself...His head hurt.

"Naruto, stop thinking so much. We'll have enough shit to sort through tomorrow. For now," Sasuke said, finally managing to snake an arm around Naruto's waist before Naruto could dance out of reach, "just let it go."

Sasuke brought his lips down on the Naruto's neck, tongue sliding out to dampen the skin, sucking gently on the muscle there.

"Nnn...Sasuke," Naruto protested weakly. He found it was rather difficult to remain adamant about justification when Sasuke was so...persuasive.

He couldn't help picturing the Sasuke he knew with guarded black eyes spread out before him, calling him an idiot but his hand outstretched in invitation. The Yondaime's words still rang at the back of his head, but he stubbornly ignored them, afraid that if he thought too hard, everything would come crashing down on him.

It was Sasuke's voice, rough with emotion, Sasuke's hands moving over him...

He told himself that it was fair, that it was his world, too. Sasuke was with him; Sasuke was holding him. It didn't seem strange anymore, it felt so right that it almost hurt. He wanted to keep this and cherish this... and some part of his brain wondered if the other him had actually succeeded in jumping the Sasuke he knew, and what would happen if he did succeed.

That would mean, if..._when_ he returned to his own world, Sasuke might actually look at him as more than just the friend to match skills with, the rival to overcome.

_No_, he thought. Even though the other Naruto was supposed to be him, he couldn't let him...himself, whatever, win over the other Sasuke too. _It would be just like this_, he thought, a little sadly, _picking up where the other me had left off...  
_  
His lips curled into a slight smirk as he turned his mouth to the curve of Sasuke's neck, imagining what would happen when he went back if he decided to molest Sasuke like this one had tackled him. To have that surety of feeling, to know that it would be returned.

Afterwards, Ssuke led Naruto down the dark hallway to the bathroom, locking the door behind them just in case Naruto's father was still in the house and decided to take a bathroom break. Naruto turned the water on and stepped into the shower, Sasuke following.

Neither said much as they cleaned each other with gentle hands and stray kisses. Nothing really needed to be said.

Naruto wasn't sure how to react anymore, but he did know that it didn't do any harm to be with Sasuke. It actually healed something inside of him, a temporary kind of salve to soothe the worst of the hurts that had built up over the years.

After they were clean, Sasuke led the way back to Naruto's room. He didn't bother with the lights, leaving the room in that dim glow only moonlight could emit, as he shut the door after Naruto and climbed into the bed, pulling Naruto close.

"You ok?" he asked quietly, hands smoothing down Naruto's back to gently massage a firm backside.

Naruto smiled and pressed his face into Sasuke's shoulder. He stared into the shadows of the room, his mind turning over and examining that question. It wasn't a simple yes or no... and he somehow owed it to Sasuke to give an honest answer.

"I'm... better," he finally said. "But confused." He propped himself up enough to look down at Sasuke, blue eyes meeting black. "You... I've loved you for a long time, Sasuke, but the other you doesn't treat me that way. We've gone through a lot more... hurt, than you and the other me have, I think." His hands traced over Sasuke's face. "Shouldn't I feel guiltier?" he asked softly.

Sasuke's hands rose to cup Naruto's cheeks. Naruto made a small grunt of disgust. "You were just touching my butt," he muttered, shaking away Sasuke's hands.

Sasuke chuckled and held on tighter. "You're clean; stop acting like an idiot. And to be honest, Naruto, I'm not so sure about the whole different worlds thing because I just can't imagine you...not being the you I've always known." He shook his head, aware of how ridiculous he sounded and frowning briefly at Naruto for being the cause of his lack of proper articulation.

Naruto snorted. "Well, it's easier for me, because you sure as hell don't act like the Sasuke I've always known." He sighed and lay down again, resting his face in the crook of Sasuke's neck. "I think we have to talk to my... father... in the morning." It was hard for him to say it, because he'd never actually used the word in conjunction with himself before. "Maybe he figured something out."

"Maybe," Sasuke murmured. "I'm sorry you and this other me had so much more discord than you and I do, but if what your father says is true, then I'm still me and you're still you, which means...maybe if you try, he---er, I will open up to you too."

Naruto smiled at Sasuke's attempt at offering consolation. The Sasuke he knew would have probably choked on the word "sorry." But if Sasuke really was innately Sasuke, then it offered Naruto some hope. He smiled.

Sasuke hit him on the head lightly. "Now, stop being stupid and get some sleep." He yawned and pulled Naruto closer to him. "We'll probably have a lot to deal with tomorrow and it's been a long day already." He couldn't help but smirk. "And I'm sure you're tired from earlier."

On impulse, he opened his mouth to argue. But he closed it quickly. After a while, he had gotten tired of constantly arguing with Sasuke and begun wanting something more. Conflict had always been a part of their relationship and he admitted some amusement, even pleasure, in the abrasive remarks they often tossed at each other...but sometimes, like right then, their rivalry could be set aside for something more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 5**

When he woke up in the morning, he was still pressed against Sasuke, warm arms wrapped around him tightly. He didn't freak out this time; he just laid there for a few moments, basking in the feel of it, another memory to tuck away for future times when this wouldn't be his reality any longer.

He poked at Sasuke. "Time to get up."

Sasuke blinked sleepy black eyes at him before deliberately closing them again and turning his face into the pillow, messy black hair falling over his cheek.

Naruto poked him again. "Get up or my...father...might come bursting in on us again."

Sasuke shook his head, face still buried so that when he spoke, it came out muffled. "He left early this morning. I heard him get up."

Naruto snickered, leaning over Sasuke. "Who would have thought that Sasuke would hate getting up in the morning?" He poked him again. "I always thought you'd be the type to refuse rest and end up falling asleep out in the training field."

Sasuke hid his head under the pillow. "Shut up and let me sleep, Uzumaki. The sun is barely up."

Naruto poked at him again, and tried to take the pillow from Sasuke, but it was being held in an iron grip. "You can never tease me about sleeping in again, you know that, right?" he grumbled and flopped over.

Sasuke released his grip on the pillow and reached out to pull Naruto closer. "We'll go talk to him in a bit."

Sasuke moved his head just enough for him to burrow into Naruto's neck. He opened his eyes to slits, the drowsiness already leaving him as vague images of his dream flittered through his conscious mind. "I was wondering..."

Naruto sighed and lay his hand over Sasuke's. "What?"

"What kind of things did you and this...other me go through? I just want to...understand."

Naruto frowned up at the ceiling. "I really don't want to talk about it."

Sasuke levered himself up, glaring at him. "You said some bullshit earlier about me trying to kill you, Naruto. Was that true or not?" His dreams were barely remembered, but something had stuck in the back of his mind. "What happened?" He cupped Naruto's cheek, fingers tracing idly over the scars. "Tell me," he murmured.

Naruto continued to frown, not meeting his gaze. His lips tightened, tense lines forming around his mouth before he finally blew out his breath in resignation. "Do you know someone named Orochimaru?"

Sasuke rested his head in his hand, watching Naruto's expression. "He was one of the Sannin. But I heard he died several years back. I've never met him."

Blue eyes grew dark with a memory that only he could see. Naruto sighed and wished it had happened that way, that Orochimaru had died without any of the pain that they had to go through, any of the shit they had to deal with because of his bitch fest at not being chosen as the next Hokage by the Sandaime.

"He attacked during the chuunin exams." His words were clipped. "You and I got the brunt of the attack, but you came out of it much worse than I did." He took a deep breath, not wanting to get into details. "The short of it... you got infested with his stupid power, went nutso over it, and tried to kill me." He closed his eyes and turned away. "End of story. You happy now?" The comfortable feeling he had before was gone, leaving only faint traces of bitterness.

Sasuke stared down at Naruto's grim expression, his face not revealing any of the emotions the admission had roused in him. He was struggling to accept the words that rang with a truth he would have rather ignored.

Naruto sat up, avoiding looking at Sasuke any. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to bring that up here. I... " He ran a hand through his hair, agitated. "I thought I had gotten over that a long time ago."

Sasuke squeezed Naruto's arms reassuringly, although he was still mulling over what he would have done for power. He had gone through a period of frustration and anger in his younger years and perhaps, if he had met Orochimaru during that time, he might have done exactly what Naruto had said he'd done. It was disconcerting to think about.

"No, _I'm_ sorry for bringing it up. I didn't mean to stir up bad memories, I guess." Since Sasuke hadn't experienced them, they weren't memories, per se...well, for him anyway.

Naruto turned and gave him a faint smile. "At least I know that you didn't have to go through that shit here," he said softly. "That there is a place where you were more well-adjusted, or perhaps I did something so that you didn't ..." He swallowed harshly. If he continued that train of that, he would touch on the idea of a reality where Itachi wasn't a crazy bastard... where Sasuke was happy... where... there were a multitude of possibilities that made him dizzy to think about.

"Let's just go talk to my father." It came out before he could even think about it. He grimaced, his hand tugging through his tousled hair in agitation. He was getting too attached to the way things were here.

He turned his face to look out the window, seeing the roofs of buildings gilded by the sunrise. Things were so painfully similar, but the differences were sharper pains, in places so deep he had forgotten they were there. He turned to Sasuke, who hadn't noticed how easily he'd let the word...the thought...slip out.

"And I want to go back to sleep," Sasuke mumbled, taking the chance to hide under the pillow again. Naruto felt his lips twitch at the sight of Sasuke acting so childlike. It was rare indeed and that sharp pain twisted inside him briefly. This was how it should be. This was how he wanted it to be and how he wanted it to stay. But it couldn't. This Sasuke wasn't the Sasuke he grew up with. He just... he didn't know what he wanted. His head hurt.

Maybe a little more sleep wouldn't hurt, he decided, closing his eyes against the dull throb that had begun in his left temple. He settled back onto the pillow, Sasuke's foot curling around his calf. It really was quite nice, he thought with a sigh, just lying with the man. Why was he so anxious to leave this again? Oh right, he thought a little bitterly, because this wasn't supposed to be happening in the first place...he swallowed back the lump in his throat and scooted a little closer to Sasuke.

Sasuke's arms reached out to wrap around him, warm lips nuzzling his neck. "See how much nicer this is?" he murmured. "Now just relax for a little while, Naruto."

Naruto gave a defeated sigh, eyes closing and breath evening out, the throb in his temples vanishing. He turned his face into Sasuke's hair and closed his eyes.

It seemed as if no more than a few minutes had passed when Sasuke rolled on top of him and whispered, "Time to wake up for real, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes seemed glued shut as he turned and forced his lids open. "What time is it?" he asked drowsily, glancing out the window at the position of the sun.

"9 am. Let's go see how your father is doing."

"Now I'm the one that doesn't want to get up." He laughed softly. "Sasuke is too comfortable." He managed to lever himself up, rubbing his eyes with a fisted hand, stifling a yawn with the other.

Sasuke snickered and poked him in the side. "Get up. He'll be expecting us soon anyhow."

"Will he?" Naruto asked, lifting his arms above his head for an exaggerated stretch.

"Well, he'll be expecting us to go see what he's found out, in any case. Now, get up." Sasuke was already pulling on his pants.

Naruto pushed aside the bed sheets, filled his lungs and hopped off the bed, prepared to start the day with a positive attitude.

As he gathered his clothing, warm arms wrapped around his middle. "Things will be okay, Naruto." He wasn't entirely sure _how_ things would be ok, but it was really the gesture that counted right then.

Naruto barely managed a nod as his hands reached for the rest of his clothing.

After showering, Naruto braced himself to face the village again and they set out for the Hokage tower. Upon their arrival, Naruto was a little unnerved at how nice everyone was being to him. The ninjas on duty ushered him straight to the Yondaime's office, even going so far as holding the door open for him. He gave them a strained smile and walked into his father's office.

It looked almost exactly the same as when Tsunade was sitting there behind the desk, rather than the tall blond man who sat there now.

"Hey boys, I figured you'd get out of bed sooner or later," he said, smiling.

Naruto flushed as he and Sasuke took seats in front of his father. "We... we were tired," he said, the excuse sounded flimsy and all too filled with implications to his ears. He fought down the new blush.

The Yondaime chuckled "Looking to find out what else I've dug up?"

Naruto immediately straightened in his seat, expression sobering. His gaze flickered briefly over to Sasuke, who was lightly frowning and slouching in his seat. He didn't appear too interested but Naruto could tell by the sharp look in his eyes that he was paying attention.

"So? Spill it," Naruto urged.

"Naruto, judging by what happened yesterday, you should be able to briefly touch the other world that you opened a pathway to. Now, I don't know how to make it permanent, but for a short while you can 'go back' and each time you do that, I'd wager the visits should be longer."

Naruto's puzzled expression clearly told the Yondaime that he did not. "Well..._how_?"

Sasuke watched Naruto from the corner of his eye, observing Naruto's reaction to his father's news. He, himself, wanted to believe that what the Hokage was saying was true, especially considering the abrupt shifts in Naruto's behavior the night before. It was incredibly bizarre but it was a preferable explanation as opposed to Naruto losing his mind.

The Yondaime frowned a little. "I'm not exactly sure what triggers it yet. This is still something quite new, but I think that if a situation parallels--such as you talking with Sasuke about the same thing, or even our conversation--I'm only speculating, but if something is so similar, then the connection may bring you back until something around you changes."

Naruto leaned back in his seat and briefly closed his eyes, dragging a hand through his hair. "Geez, this is confusing." His stomach lurched.

"Then explain it to me, you brat."

Naruto's eyes flew open in alarm. He jerked up in his seat as Tsunade glared at him from across her desk. He cast frantic eyes to Sasuke, who was slouching in the chair beside him, same as before. He swallowed, taking a deep breath to steady his pulse.

_There should be some type of warning label on this damn thing_, he grumbled to himself. His eyes immediately went to the pictures above the desk, and his heart twisted painfully at the image of the Yondaime, of the man that he had been talking to only a minute earlier.

"I... " He swallowed. "What did I tell you already?" He managed a cheeky grin.

"You haven't told us anything, idiot," Sasuke muttered from beside him.

Tsunade cast him a quick frown before settling her gaze on Naruto again. "We've established that the kyuubi had something to do with it," she said patiently, carefully, as if Naruto was too slow to comprehend. And honestly, right then, he was a little scattered.

"Have you looked at my seal?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke sat up, scoffing. "She _just_ did; what the hell's wrong with you _now_?"

Naruto turned to him, losing his temper. "Maybe if you knew what the hell was going on, you'd know why I was asking these questions." If Tsunade had no idea, then he had to tell her while he had the chance. "Yondaime believes I've crossed into a parallel... universe, I guess," he said quickly, laying it out like he would the basics for a mission. "I switched places with this other Naruto."

Tsunade frowned. "What's different about this other universe?" Tsunade looked deeply interested and not at all skeptical like Naruto thought she would be.

"I have a father... the Yondaime."

He observed the way her eyes widened just a fraction before she caught herself and schooled her expression, revealing nothing more than rapt interest. Naruto swallowed and continued.

"And no one looks at me like I'm a demon," he muttered, eyes growing blank as he recalled the friendly smiles of the villagers as he and Sasuke had made their way here not very long ago to see a completely different Hokage than the one seated before him now.

"Idiot," Sasuke's voice drawled out to his right. "You honestly believe that you are in an alternate universe?" His brow rose as he turned to look at him. "One where the Yondaime is alive?" Only Naruto would be able to detect that hint of worry in his tone--no one else could read Sasuke so well. "Humor me, then. What other things are different in this world that you're from?"

Naruto, realizing that his two companions were not aware that he had switched places, turned to Sasuke and gave him a flat look. "You're in love with me."

Sasuke returned the blank expression for a good ten seconds before his lips curled into a half sneer, half smirk. "That was a pathetic joke," he said, although the strange glint in his eyes was suspicious.

The last time Naruto had momentarily switched back to his own world, Sasuke had mentioned him...or, rather, the _other_ him, practically mauling Sasuke. He returned Sasuke's glare with a humorless grin.

Naruto's face lost its expression, and he turned back to Tsunade. "At any rate, we figured out somewhat of what happened. Apparently I and my ... other self... got hit by a faulty jutsu at the same time, causing us to switch. And..." He took a deep breath. "The Yondaime said that I switch back momentarily when things are... the same in both worlds. What have _you_ guys learned?"

Tsunade cocked her head. "_We_ figured it out?" she asked, confused.

Naruto blinked, realizing what he'd just said. "Er..." he said intelligently.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked tentatively.

Naruto turned back to him. "Yes, it's me. For now, anyway. And I don't know for how long."

Sasuke looked very much like he wanted to say something but his lips remained pressed together, as if afraid something might slip if he allowed himself to relax.

"The Yondaime is doing research, trying to figure this out," he said softly. "I'm sure this is causing problems on this end as well." His lips quirked slightly as he imagined the kind of problems Sasuke in particular was probably having. "I can't imagine my other half... the other me having an easy time of it here. Everything is opposite of what he's used to."

"Well, he's twice as obnoxious and twice as loud as you are," Sasuke muttered, leaning back into his seat and turning to stare out the window, seemingly avoiding Naruto's gaze.

Naruto snorted softly, but ignored the remark. "Tsunade-bachan, have you ever heard about these different, er, parallel realities?"

She tapped her fingers on her desk, face set. "That brat of a Hokage did research on it. It was one of the many quirks that he had." Rubbing her forehead as if it hurt, she considered. "I'll have to go through his records and see what he found out about it, and then do some extra reading on my own. We will have to fix things; there's no telling what effects this could have on either reality."

Sasuke frowned and turned to Naruto, his gaze more perceptive than usual. "Do you want it to go back to normal, Naruto?" he asked, eyes never leaving Naruto's, and ignoring Tsunade for the moment. "Or are you too happy in this other life?"

Naruto was careful not to give anything away as he turned opaque blue eyes to Sasuke. "Don't be an ass, Sasuke. Why wouldn't I want things normal again?"

Sasuke, who knew Naruto much better than Naruto believed him to, continued staring hard into those blank eyes until Naruto's gaze finally wavered. "Tell me, Naruto. What am I like in this other world?"

Naruto cast Tsunade a quick glance to determine what she would say but she seemed wholly uninterested in what he and Sasuke were discussing.

"You're pretty much the same, except... " He swallowed, unable to keep some form of emotion from his voice as he continued. "You never had the chance to go to Orochimaru, because he died several years before the start of the Chuunin exams."

Sasuke blinked at that, suddenly unable to find any coherent response. His mind was stumbling over the possibilities his life might have taken had he never been cursed with Orochimaru's seal...all the grief and the pain he and Naruto might have been spared. It was almost overwhelming to think about.

"Oh," he said quietly. "Is he stronger than me?" It was pure curiosity that spurred the question.

Naruto gave him an exasperated look. "You're still you. I doubt you're any less or more powerful than him...you, whatever. Unless you want to include all those creepy jutsus you learned from Orochimaru."

Naruto couldn't help but give a faint smile at the question, though. It was such a purely Sasuke thing that he wanted to relax and just pretend like none of this was happening in the way that it was. "You're more relaxed and open, but that's to be expected." He snorted and stared at his hands. "I still don't know how the other us... whatever... got to be friends, though. It's not like we had the same things in common." The last part was almost mumbled to himself.

"How did we become..." Sasuke paused as he realized what he was about to say. He coughed discretely and answered his unfinished question instead. "We were on the same team so we were forced to spend time together. Teamwork would naturally build bonds. I'm sure it was the same for them."

Naruto glanced at him, the corner of his lip tugging upward. Sasuke had just inadvertently admitted that he thought of Naruto as his friend.

Naruto shook his head. He really didn't know how much time he had left and stated as much to both Tsunade and Sasuke. "I think you better ask what questions you can now before whatever happens flips me back." He could almost feel the other him doing the same thing, that same feeling of urgency.

"Well," Tsunade said, returning her full attention to Naruto. "Let's review, hm? Parallel worlds. You've switched places with this other Naruto because of a faulty jutsu and Kyuubi has something to do with it. Is that about right?"

"Er." Naruto knew it was just a small detail and that he shouldn't really let it bother him but, at the same time, it was a _huge_ detail and something that he needed to believe. "Yondaime says that it's not just another Naruto...it's still me." At Tsunade's quizzical look, he clarified. "The same soul."

Naruto had the rare experience of seeing Sasuke caught off guard before the dark-haired boy recovered, and he couldn't help grinning a little at the image. "I don't know all of what that means or how that will help but..." His eyes turned to Tsunade. "That's why you're the Hokage and not me."

He turned back to Sasuke. "Hey, cut the other me a little slack, hm?" he asked, almost as an afterthought. "He doesn't know how to deal with a Sasuke that's been through quite as much as you. That's my job."

Sasuke didn't reply for a couple seconds and Naruto could tell that he was remembering all the biting remarks he had probably made to Naruto's counterpart, although Naruto supposed Sasuke might have been justified if his other self had _really_ tried to jump on him. Sasuke, after all, was _not_ the touchy-feely sort. Try to hug him and he'd break your arm.

"Then we should figure out how to fix this as soon as possible so I won't _have_ to 'cut you some slack'," Sasuke finally said.

Naruto snorted at that. "I think I'll be glad to have the psychotic Sasuke back myself," he muttered under his breath. Sasuke gave him a dark glare at the comment. "You don't know how _weird_ it was to have Sasuke..." He broke off, a blush rising to his cheeks as he stopped the sentence before he could say too much.

Tusnade was smirking at him though, and he just glared at her, daring her to voice whatever thoughts were going through her head.

Sasuke, however, had tilted his head just slightly, looking at him askance. "Finish your sentence."

Naruto shrugged and straightened in his seat. "So, yeah, the same soul thing--"

"Naruto," Sasuke said, interrupting him. "_What_ did this other me do?"

Naruto fixed an incredulous look on his face and gazed at the Hokage pleadingly. "Is this really necessary? Can we just get on with it?"

Tsunade smirked and shook her head. "It may actually shed some light on the situation. The smallest piece of information could be the most important."

Naruto didn't want to alienate Sasuke here, to risk losing their friendship by having Sasuke assume--or worse, find out--how Naruto felt about him. He clasped his hands together, looking down at his lap and almost wanting to switch back at that point. "He..." Naruto paused. "He... um... kinda pushed me up against a wall and kissed me." His cheeks were bright red now, and he sure as hell wasn't going to admit anything else that the other Sasuke did.

He couldn't bear to look at Sasuke at the moment and so he chanced a glance at Tsunade. She was watching Sasuke, something akin to pure glee twinkling in her eyes although her smile only spoke of mild amusement.

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, intensely curious, and was taken aback to see Sasuke's face screwed up in concentration, as if using all his willpower to suppress the color that was just beginning to rise in his neck. Naruto, despite his warm cheeks, let a grin split his face. "You look constipated, Sasuke."

That did it--Sasuke glared at him and he lost the will to keep the blush from his cheeks. "No wonder you tried to do the same thing to me!" he snapped. He realized what he said half a second later and the blush was back full force, Naruto's face the same shade of red. Tsunade looked like she was barely restraining herself from laughing out loud.

Some tiny part of Naruto's brain was reassured that Sasuke wasn't outright disgusted by his admission. Maybe the whole same souls thing really was true; maybe the other Sasuke really was a part of _this_ Sasuke... and the thought was encouraging.

"So," Naruto said, raising a blond eyebrow at Tsunade. "Did that 'shed some light' on any of this for you?"

Tsunade smiled serenely. "Well, we've at least discovered that it's possible to find some humor in all of this. Even if it's at the expense of you two," she said with a snort.

Naruto composed himself and jumped up, glaring at her. "You old hag!" he shouted. "This is serious, not some damn soap opera for you to be amused by!" He was frustrated, obscenely embarrassed, confused and just wanted his head to stop hurting and things to return to normal. "While I admit that Sasuke blushing is almost worth all this," He smirked at the other boy. "This is more serious than that."

Sasuke glared at Naruto, lips compressed into a thin line now that he had gotten over the mortifying urge to blush. "Naruto," he muttered. "One would think that you enjoyed it." That was his parting shot.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 6**

Naruto swayed on his feet, blinked and was still staring into Sasuke's glaring face but...he slowly turned back to the desk and confirmed his suspicion when the Yondaime blinked back at him.

"Naruto?" he asked, brows drawn in concern. "Did it happen again?"

Naruto imagined he heard regret in the Yondaime's voice, and he forced a rueful smile. "Yeah. But I got to talk with Tsunade-bachan." He glanced at Sasuke and said, "And the other Sasuke."

The Yondaime nodded, looking as if he might say something, but instead waved his hand for Naruto to continue.

"He turned a really interesting shade when I told him about..." He retook his seat. "Well, about things. Didn't know you could blush so prettily, Sasuke."

Sasuke glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing. "Idiot," he muttered.

Naruto turned back to the Yondaime. "Did you learn anything?" he asked softly. He didn't ask if he was glad that he had his son back for a short while. For all that the Yondaime talked about Naruto still being his son, it was hard to admit, even to himself.

The older man shook his head. "Nothing we haven't already figured out anyway. I imagine you filled in the blanks for them?"

Naruto nodded and twisted his hands together, retaking his seat. "So," he said, head bowed and staring at his hands. "I've been thinking that I should find a way to talk to kyuubi."

Both Sasuke and the Yondaime looked startled.

"You can...talk to it?" his father asked, wide eyes dropping to Naruto's stomach.

"Well, I've only ever heard its voice when my life was in danger, but I'll see if I can't try later if we don't figure this out ourselves."

"I'll want to hear about all that 'talking to it while your life was in danger' stuff later, I hope you know," his father said, brows drawn in concern.

Naruto nodded, smiling crookedly. "What do we do now?"

"Well, my initial thought was to keep you home until we know more of what to do" The Yondaime shrugged. "But you'd probably prefer if we kept you occupied with small missions and the like."

Naruto's eyes lit up at the thought of being able to do something instead of being cooped up all day. "What type of missions am I used to here?" he asked eagerly. "Probably not as good since I seem to be..." He blushed and stared down at his lap again. It wasn't very polite of him to call the Yondaime's son weak. "What are my strengths here?"

"Well, like I said already, Naruto. You're a good ninja. You just happen to have a few more jutsus up your sleeve than the other you. Although that doesn't necessarily make you stronger, it does seem that you are a bit more experienced. Don't worry about that, though, because I'm not going to send you on any lengthy missions nor any that involve leaving Konoha."

Naruto crossed his arms, barely resisting the urge to thrust out his lower lip. "I'm not a child," he muttered petulantly.

"Then don't act like one," Sasuke quipped.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him. "You certainly weren't seeing me as a child earlier," he said, ignoring the way the Yondaime was studiously looking away.

Sasuke, not about to let Naruto have the upper hand, let his eyes sweep Naruto's tall form, briefly settling on his crotch before meeting Naruto's gaze again. "You're right, Naruto. And you carried out your _adult_ duties with such proficiency. Perhaps we should repeat the experience."

Naruto felt his ears burn as he glared heatedly into Sasuke's challenging black eyes.

"If you two are quite finished, I'd like to clarify how we will be handling your missions."

Both men turned to look at him. "Our missions? Both of us?" Sasuke asked.

"As in, together?" Naruto blinked.

The Yondaime rolled his eyes, looking amused. "Yes, missions for the two of you. You already know how well you both work together and it would be best for Sasuke to keep an eye on you."

Naruto immediately puffed up. "I don't need to be looked after just because of this. Or because I'm your son." He remembered what Konohamaru had been treated like, and he wasn't going to stand for the same treatment.

"It's best that way, just in case anything happens," the Yondaime insisted, straightening the papers on his desk.

"I'm a _jounin_; I can look after myself. Besides, _what_ could possibly happen if I'm not even allowed to leave Konoha?" Naruto asked, rolling his eyes dramatically. "How about I don't leave Fire Country? That's a little more reasonable, isn't it?"

The Yondaime paused, steepling his fingers in contemplation. "Well, if such a mission becomes available, I will consider it."

Naruto groused and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm a lot stronger than you think I am," he insisted. "And I'd only switch back if something paralleled and if that was the case, it'd basically be the same mission." He paused and grinned. "Plus, think if someone kept tabs on me or something... they wouldn't expect the cool stuff I can do that the other me can't."

The Yondaime straightened in his chair. "Regardless, Sasuke will accompany you on any missions you receive. Is that satisfactory?" He was looking at Sasuke when he asked the question.

Naruto fisted his hands at his side. He was apparently not getting a choice.

Sasuke nodded. "It'll be bothersome babysitting," he said with a smirk, "but that will be fine."

Naruto stood up, eyes narrowed. "I am _not_ going to be babysat!" he shouted. "I'd rather stay in my room--away from him--" He pointed to Sasuke. "than be treated like I need a keeper on missions that I'd be perfectly capable of handling on my own."

Sasuke smirked. "You didn't seem to be complaining earlier." He raised an eyebrow.

Naruto just barely restrained himself from sticking out his tongue at the Uchiha. "Are we back to that again? You must have a one track mind, Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugged, not at all bothered by Naruto's accusation.

Naruto watched his dark head a moment longer, suddenly realizing that it was probably true. Sasuke really did have a one track mind, whether it was in the pursuit of lust or revenge. Except, in the case of revenge, it transformed into a rather unhealthy obsession.

He sighed and gave the Yondaime a pleading look. "Can't you just keep him away from me or something?" A sudden and random thought occurred to him--something he mentioned to the other Sasuke and he wondered if the reasoning was correct. "How did we become friends anyhow?" His brows drew together. "I mean, the other Sasuke and I had... common ground..."

The Yondaime smiled, his eyes glazing over as if peering into a memory. "I remember the day you were assigned to team 7. You ran straight here to tell me you were teamed up with the 'beautiful, wonderful Sakura' and the 'genius Uchiha Sasuke who was kind of a jerk.'" He laughed at Naruto's expression.

"Please tell me you're kidding. I did _not_ call him a genius," Naruto muttered.

"Yes, you did. And I guess you'll have to ask Sasuke what happened next because all I ever heard from you was what a jerk Sasuke was... except you didn't always say it in quite so nice a term," he said, still chuckling.

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, for me, yes, I did think Sakura was beautiful." He smiled faintly at the memory. "And Sasuke _was_ a jerk. When he introduced himself he said that he only had two goals in life." Naruto stopped for a moment, then shrugged.

Sasuke sighed. "We had our fights. We still do," he said with an almost fond smile. "But saving each other's lives a few times does a lot for building trust." He gave Naruto a suggestive smirk. "If you don't remember how things between us developed, ask me later. I'll be glad to play it out for you."

Naruto shifted on his feet, giving Sasuke a dirty look. "Right, let me get back to you on that." His voice was thick with sarcasm but he thought perhaps he would ask Sasuke about it later anyway. He was curious, after all.

Even so, he still couldn't quite grasp how Sasuke had become his friend when they had nothing in common. At least in his world, they had both begun their friendship with similar ground—two boys forced to grow up alone. They had seen their loneliness reflected in the other's eyes.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's expression, not all aware of the thoughts swirling in Naruto's head. "I was rather disappointed to see the son of the Yondaime falling for such stupid traps and being so unlike what a shinobi should be." He paused and looked directly at Naruto. "Then I realized why you did some things."

Naruto swallowed, meeting Sasuke's steady gaze. "Why?" he asked softly, although he might have guessed anyway.

The Yondaime was watching Sasuke just as intently, wondering if there were things about the Naruto he'd raised that even he didn't know.

Sasuke shrugged. "I think you know why, Naruto. I don't think that you want to shout it out to everyone, though." He rested a hand briefly on Naruto's shoulder, squeezing gently.

The Yondaime made a mental note to have a serious talk with his son after things were restored to normal.

Naruto snorted and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess so." He turned to look back at his father. It was getting a little easier to accept that now. "So what type of missions did you have for us?" he asked.

The Yondaime shuffled his papers again, searching for something. "Ah," he said, pulling out a long piece of parchment. "You have two options. You can patrol the perimeter tomorrow or..." --his smile grew a little sheepish-- "you can make your way through a list of D-rank missions."

At Naruto's outraged cry, the Yondaime put up his hands, as if to ward off the fuming blond.

Naruto snorted. "I think I'd rather patrol the perimeter than do D-rank missions." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked deeply offended. "Those are for genin and I never liked them even when I was that rank" he muttered, pouting a little. "That's not a very good choice of organizing the missions." He had fallen into the habit of lecturing Tsunade over her methods, and it seemed natural to get the Yondaime as well.

"Well, as much as I'd like to give you a more exciting mission, there aren't many at the moment that will allow you to remain within Konoha. Or Fire Country," he added hastily at Naruto's darkening expression. "But I'll let you know as soon as one comes up."

Naruto transferred his glare to Sasuke. "You're actually going along with this?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Like I said, it's bothersome, but as long as things are mixed up, it's better to be safe."

"You're all impossible," he muttered. "Normally, Sasuke would never stoop to such a low level mission if he didn't have to." He glared at Sasuke. "You don't have to follow me around and be stuck with crappy missions."

Sasuke snorted and thunked him lightly on the head. "One--it was an order from the Yondaime. Two--ever think that I might want to stick around you, dead last?"

Naruto returned the bland stare. "No."

Sasuke made a convincing show of being thoroughly exasperated. "Your Sasuke needs a good kick in the head. Give him that for me next time you go back, would you?"

Naruto had to smile at that. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll appreciate it. A kick in the head from himself." He let out a snort of laughter. "Although he didn't quite believe that you had pinned me up against a wall. I really think that you're two different people."

"Life events can really affect a person, Naruto." The Yondaime cocked his head, his gaze searching Naruto's face.

Naruto frowned at the floor, suddenly unable to meet the Yondaime's eyes. "Yeah. Sasuke's been through a lot of shit."

It was interesting, Sasuke noted, how Naruto avoided the issue that he had been through a lot as well.

"From what you tell me, Naruto--it must have been very hard on him. But I am sure that you were there for him." The Yondaime's smile was reassuring at that.

"Yeah, whenever the bastard would let me," Naruto muttered. "He had a stick shoved up his ass most of the time." He seemed to forget the other Sasuke was there. "I think he needs to get laid more than I do."

Sasuke snorted. "I'm sure you can help him out with that." He smirked at the dark look Naruto sent him. "And in the mean time, I can help you practice."

"And have my privates cut off?" Naruto returned, eyebrows raised. He shuddered at the mental image of what would happen if he jumped Sasuke. "I don't think so. He's not like you and ..." A wide grin split his face. It was so much fun to taunt Sasuke when he didn't have to deal with the repercussions of it. "In fact, I think he's got the hots for Sakura-chan."

As Sasuke's eyes widened into an incredulous look, Naruto decided taunting Sasuke was definitely worth any minor injuries Sasuke might want to inflict.

"Well that settles it then," Sasuke finally said, retaking control of his expression.

"Settles what?" Naruto asked, smirking.

"He's definitely _not_ me."

"Oh, come on, Sakura is a pretty girl and she's a fine medic ninja," the Yondaime offered with a mischievous grin that mirrored Naruto's at times.

Naruto nodded seriously, enjoying the fact the Hokage was going along with it. He could clearly see now where his sense of humor had come from. "See, I knew you were two different people--and Sakura is absolutely crazy about that other Sasuke. I heard..." He lowered his voice as if imparting a great secret. "...that she might have his child soon."

At the look that crossed Sasuke's face, he wondered if he had gone just a bit too far. Sasuke had gone even whiter than the normal hue of his skin, which was quite a feat frankly, considering how pale he was. But when Naruto's lips began to twitch furiously from suppressing his laughter, his expression grew thunderous and if not for the fact that they were in the Yondaime's office, he would have launched himself at Naruto and strangled him.

There was a loud knock on the door and all three straightened, composing themselves. Naruto gave Sasuke an innocent smile as the Yondaime called for the visitor to enter, and almost lost it again when Sakura stepped through the door. The Yondaime was obviously trying to hide his amusement as well, and Sasuke looked ready to kill someone.

"Did I come at a bad time?" she questioned, taking in their expressions.

"No, no, come in," the Yondaime said, smiling. "Ignore the boys. They're just a little wound up."

Sakura gave her former teammates an uncertain look but closed the door behind her all the same. "I checked at the house but no one was home so I thought I'd try here. I was wondering how Naruto was doing."

Naruto grinned back at her, pointedly ignoring Sasuke's mutinous glare at the back of his head. "Oh, I'm doing tons better, Sakura-chan." His eyes were bright with his amusement. "We were just discussing the possibility of Sasuke having ..." The rest of his words were muffled as Sasuke abruptly knocked Naruto to the ground.

"Finish that sentence and die," he growled out.

Sakura blinked at Naruto--now sprawled across the floor--and quickly covered her mouth, but a giggle escaped anyway. "I see you two are back to normal," she said.

Sasuke gave him a solid thwap upside the head. "You're such a moron, Uzumaki," he muttered in disgust, getting off Naruto. "I don't know why you would think such a ridiculous thing. Remember what I said before--give him a solid kick in the head if he even thinks about doing such idiotic things." He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, face as impassive as ever, but his eyes snapped with annoyance.

"Aw, you're just jealous 'cause you're not as lucky."

Sasuke thwapped his head a second time just for good measure. "That doesn't even deem a response," he said, standing and tugging at his vest.

"As much as I'd love to sit here and watch you two all day, I have other things to do. So take your quarrel outside, boys," the Yondaime said with obvious reluctance, eyeing the stack of papers in front of him with distaste.

Naruto gave Sasuke a light shrug. "So," he said, "who wants to go for some ramen?"

Sasuke sneered at him before stalking out of the room without another word.

Naruto waved briefly to the Yondaime before casually striding out the door and shutting it softly after him. The second the door was closed, he bolted down the hall and the long set of stairs, searching for that familiar dark head.

He didn't want to turn Sasuke away from him---not this Sasuke, not the other Sasuke. He had driven the other Sasuke away from him before, and he was given his rare chance to have a Sasuke that loved him, that wanted to be with him.

The other Sasuke...**_my_**_ Sasuke_, Naruto thought, unable to help the possessiveness, wouldn't have put up with his needling and they'd have ended up in an outright brawl. He wondered why he suddenly missed that familiarity, when right here was a Sasuke who so clearly loved him, even if it was a part of him that he had never known, it was still him.

He finally caught a glimpse of the back of Sasuke's head disappearing into the crowd of the market place. Reacting in only a purely Naruto fashion, he pushed through people, needing to reach Sasuke.

Naruto was frustrated and managed to catch up to Sasuke enough to tackle him to the ground. "It was just teasing, dumbass," he muttered.

As Sasuke smirked up at him, Naruto suddenly realized their position. Son of the Yondaime or not, he was certain it wasn't polite to straddle another guy in public.

"You should learn when to shut up, Uzumaki," Sasuke said, sounding irritated but making no move to push Naruto off him.

As it was still early in the day, the market place was packed with villagers so Naruto and Sasuke certainly weren't lacking an audience. This obvious fact went straight to Naruto's face and he turned bright red, jumping off of Sasuke.

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked at the ground. "It was just teasing," he repeated. "I... " He swallowed, uncertain of how to continue. "Look... part of it, I guess was real. I figured if Sasuke.... the Sasuke I know... couldn't be happy with me, he would be happy with someone else." He couldn't look at this Sasuke, feeling like a total idiot.

Sasuke stood, brushing himself off and ignoring the not-so-subtle stares of the villagers as they moved around them. "Look, moron, if he's really me then it's safe to say that if I were to find happiness with someone else, then it certainly wouldn't be a female, much less Sakura." He glared at a woman who had heard his comment and was looking scandalized that he had actually admitted in a roundabout way that he was gay.

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment, and then he grinned, inordinately pleased Sasuke no longer seemed upset with him, and dragged Sasuke through the crowd to a more secluded spot.

"So, Neji, then?" he teased lightly. "He is a lot smarter than me." It was obvious by the forced tone and the fake smile that Naruto was really asking 'Why me?'

"Neji is too uptight. Besides," he said, pushing Naruto back against the rough stone of the building behind him, "he's not you." It was about then that Sasuke realized Naruto was sounding terribly insecure and he almost laughed at the absurdity. "I guess," he said, answering Naruto's unspoken question, "despite that you're annoying as shit, you make me smile when I need it most."

Naruto stared at him with wide eyes, then he relaxed as he grinned up at Sasuke. He could make Sasuke smile--even with his Sasuke, he was the only one to get the man to react.

"I guess that means I'm pretty damn good for you," Naruto said smugly. "Cause if you didn't have me, that stick up your--" Sasuke decided enough was enough and shut Naruto up by kissing him.

Naruto decided arguing was much less preferable to this, so he stopped talking and ran his tongue along Sasuke's bottom lip.

Mouth still pressed to Naruto's, he glanced at the crowded street and pushed Naruto farther into the narrow space between buildings.

"I don't think this is a good place to--mmf."

Sasuke cut him off by pressing his mouth harder against Naruto's. "Don't think."

"But..."

Sasuke shoved him against the wall. "Shut up, Uzumaki," he ordered. "I'm inclined to forgive you, but try and be quiet." Naruto didn't know what Sasuke meant by that statement until a few seconds later, and he nearly choked at the effort of keeping quiet.

_Holy ... I can't imagine Sasuke.. ever doing this. _His train of thought was rapidly running off the tracks. Sasuke's hand had cupped him between his legs and squeezed firmly.

"Sa...Sasuke," he breathed as Sasuke's mouth left his to lick a wet path down his neck.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Sasuke muttered, his hand moving to the band of Naruto's pants.

"But, but we're in publ...." Naruto gasped and his hands gripped Sasuke's hair tightly. "And, and..." His brain couldn't think of anything else to protest and he relaxed against the wall, eyes sliding shut.

Sasuke smirked against him, his other hand moving to stroke the sensitive skin of Naruto's inner thigh. "Don't you like a little risk-taking, Naruto?" Sasuke murmured against Naruto's neck, his hands grabbing hold of Naruto pants and jerking them down. Naruto's eyes widened and he grabbed a hold of his pants before they could reveal any more than the short blond hairs between his legs.

"Yes, but I'm not an exhibitionist, Sasuke," he hissed, trying to pull his pants back up, but Sasuke's grip was unrelenting.

Sasuke smirked. "I never would have thought of you as a chicken," he murmured, hands gripping the material and mouth moving over Naruto's neck. "You're not up for the challenge? How often do you think people come down this alley?"

Naruto grunted and pushed lightly against Sasuke's shoulder. "I am _not_ a chicken. I just don't think showing the world my--mmf!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and silenced him again with his mouth. When Naruto moaned and relaxed into the kiss, he pulled back again. "I told you, don't think. Just enjoy."

Naruto decided he definitely didn't like that gleam in Sasuke's eyes. "Sasuke!" he said, his voice jumping an octave as Sasuke sank to his knees and pressed his mouth to Naruto's clothed groin.

Sasuke bit down lightly and enjoyed the gratified gasp. "Enjoying yourself, Uzumaki?"

Naruto would have replied except his brain had melted into a pile of mush and his only response was guttural nonsense. Sasuke smirked and, as Naruto's hand had released his pants, pushed the cloth lower, just enough to release Naruto's semi-hard erection. He cast a quick glance down the end of the alley where people passed by, oblivious to what was happening not twelve feet away.

Naruto gave a soft whimper as Sasuke lightly trailed his fingertips over the erection, mouth moving so gently over it that he wasn't sure if it was there or not. He didn't want to move at this point. "Get... get on... with it," he managed to growl out, eyes squinched shut.

"I knew you'd see it my way." Sasuke bent his head and raked the flat of his tongue from the base to the head, a finger gently massaging the skin just behind Naruto's balls.

The cool stone wall behind him dug into his shoulder blades as Naruto leaned back for support, his legs trembling. The noise from the marketplace faded away into a faint buzzing in the background, his entire awareness having focused in on Sasuke and his mouth.

Incapable of coherent speech, Naruto opened his eyes to slits and glanced down at Sasuke, watching his erection disappear into Sasuke's pale lips, wet with saliva. He never expected--not in any of his dreams--that this, or what had happened last night, would ever happen. To have Sasuke giving him such attention was one thing--to see the heat in Sasuke's eyes as his mouth moved over Naruto's cock, to know that he evoked this type of reaction in Sasuke--it was incredible and his body shuddered at the sight of those dark eyes fixed on him.

He would miss this form of affection, he thought, once things were straightened out and he returned to his normal life. And not just because of the sexual gratification, but because of the connection it created between them; because it was Sasuke whose lips he felt, Sasuke's touch, Sasuke's love.

_Sasuke_... he thought, and a few whimpers escaped as he felt something in his body tighten, spiraling ever inward.

Naruto groaned, his eyes squeezing shut again as his hips became more insistent, working towards that ultimate end. Sasuke's lips curved around his full mouth, a soundless chuckle shaking his chest.

"Shit, Sasuke," Naruto whispered. _How did he get so talented?_ _Smug bastard_. Even in something like this, Sasuke was confident of himself, eyes glinting with amusement as he had Naruto at his mercy.

Naruto grunted in release, his head falling backward and hitting the stone behind him with a smack. He groaned, hardly feeling the momentary pain.

Sasuke swallowed, pushing down the twinging urge to gag, and pulled his mouth back, sucking gently. He gave the tip one last lick before tucking Naruto back into his pants.

Naruto looked down at him, a faint smile on his face and a glazed, contented look in his eyes. "Don't tell me this is a regular occurrence," he murmured. "I'm surprised my heart can take it."

Amazingly, no one had come down the alleyway; no one had heard a thing and came to investigate. Naruto was feeling a little better about the whole situation and he pulled Sasuke close to him, giving him a gentle kiss, hands stroking through the mussed hair.

He whispered into Sasuke's ear, "How should I repay you?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 7**

"How should I repay you?"

Sasuke licked at Naruto's lips and Naruto made a small face at the residual taste in Sasuke's mouth, but didn't comment.

"Hm," Sasuke murmured thoughtfully. "I can think of a few ways."

Naruto cupped Sasuke's backside, fingers massaging the taut muscles. He couldn't help the warmth creeping up his neck as he thought about the things he could do with that firm backside.

_I'm turning into a pervert,_ he thought with a grimace. _Ero-sennin would be proud... then he'd smack me upside the head for taking so long and ask why I wasn't into girls_.

"Well, I'm not as into public displays as you are." He nipped at Sasuke's lips. "We'd have to take this inside." He couldn't help but tighten his grip, enjoying Sasuke's appreciative little gasp at that. "But didn't my father give us a mission?" he asked, his mind still digging through the haze of afterglow back to their meeting with his father.

Sasuke drew back and lifted a dark eyebrow. "Tomorrow... perimeter patrol. Was that too much for you to remember?"

Naruto opened his mouth to argue just as his stomach let out a loud rumble. He smiled sheepishly. "Er...ramen?" he asked.

Sasuke flattened his lips. "You're lucky I like to keep you happy. But since you mentioned it, I expect to be _repaid_ later."

Naruto smiled and slung an arm around Sasuke, tugging the man back into the street and, despite what they'd just done, he was unable to help the strangeness when Sasuke didn't pull away.

"What are you grinning about?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, just... comparing," Naruto said. "The possibility of the other you doing to me what you just did." He snorted again. "But..." He shrugged and gave Sasuke a look, thinking over his initial idea. Maybe he could discuss it with Sasuke. At least he didn't have to worry about losing Sasuke's friendship because of him being disgusted or scared off. He related the idea to Sasuke. "What do you think?" he asked. "Is it probable? I mean... you are supposed to be the same person and all... and Sasuke was a prick even before he ran off to Orochimaru."

"We didn't always get along, you know," Sasuke said.

Naruto gave him a questioning look.

Sasuke sighed. "Well, you make it sound as if we're so different. And yeah, we are _now_. But he sounds like how I was before we...became more. All we ever did was fight back then. I thought I hated you, because you seemed so _happy_ with your family and everything seemed to be perfect for you."

Naruto cocked his head thoughtfully. "Okay, but you haven't answered me yet."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Sure. Sounds plausible."

Naruto rolled his eyes as he poked at Sasuke. "You didn't even think about it!" he accused. "You just blindly answered." He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "C'mon, I need some serious advice here. You and Sasuke are supposed to be the same person, but you're nicer and... damn it, Sasuke." Naruto stood in front of him, eyes narrowed. "Is it just because I'm the Yondaime's son?"

Sasuke came to a stop and pushed Naruto's arm off his shoulder. "Of everything you've said today, that might be the stupidest one. I used to _put up with you_ because you were the Yondaime's son. I _stay_ with you because you're Naruto." He reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair before drawing back and smacking Naruto's head. "Stop asking me stupid questions."

Naruto growled and stalked away, heading straight for the direction of the ramen stand that he frequented. _And it better be here in this reality_! He groused to himself. _I'm not giving up my favorite meal or my favorite place to eat it._

Sasuke rolled his eyes and followed Naruto. _He said things were very different. And when I spoke to the Naruto I know--even for those brief moments, he was astonished at the difference. Maybe his question isn't as stupid as it seems._

Naruto let out a whoop of joy as the ramen stand came into view. Sasuke's lips curled into the barest of pleasant smiles as he watched Naruto's exuberance. His mouth turned down again as he returned to his thoughts.

_If I had betrayed the village_, he thought with a frown, _and I came back...I would trust no one because no one would trust me._ When he thought about it that way, this other Sasuke's attitude made sense. But then again.

_Sasuke was a prick even before he ran off to Orochimaru._ Naruto's words rang through his head. Meaning he had never even tried to get close to Naruto before then. And then betraying the village killed any chance of that. He was certain, though--if they were the same person, that this other Sasuke felt the same for Naruto.

Naruto looked back at him. "Why are you being so slow?" he demanded. "Get over here!" It seemed his earlier annoyance was completely gone.

Sasuke set aside his thoughts and joined Naruto at the stand, taking a seat next to Naruto who had already ordered. "I'll have the same," he said to the old man behind the counter.

He rested his arms on the countertop, content to watch Naruto twiddle his thumbs in anticipation of his favorite food. He normally couldn't stand ramen but since he didn't eat it nearly as often Naruto did, he could stomach it from time to time.

Naruto was giving him a wide grin, eyes squinched up at the corners. "Hehe, I don't have to worry about buying it this time," he said, but Sasuke knew that grin and it made him want to thump his head on the table. After all of what Sasuke had told the idiot, he was still pretending with that happy-go-lucky attitude. _Lighten up, Sasuke_, he tried to tell himself. _You hid your feelings too. He just looks like a moron when he hides his._

"And why is that, Naruto?" He raised an eyebrow. "You don't think I'm paying for your meal, do you?"

Naruto bristled, as if insulted. "That's not what I meant." He clapped his hands together in excitement as a steaming bowl of miso ramen was set before him. He snapped his chopsticks apart and prepared to dig in when Sasuke whipped the thin wooden sticks out of his hand. "Hey!"

"Then what _did_ you mean?" Sasuke asked, holding the chopsticks out of Naruto's reaching grasp.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, I don't know about you, Mr. High and Mighty--but I had to worry about spending my money on other things." He reached for the chopsticks again. "Now give them back to me, damn it!"

Sasuke smirked and held them high above Naruto's head, the owners of the stand ignoring this display. Apparently they were used to it, or something like it.

"Like what?" Sasuke asked without thought. He mentally winced when Naruto glared at him.

"Like keeping my apartment!" Naruto snapped, finally snatching the chopsticks out of Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke moved his arm as another bowl was set in front of him, but he made no move to begin eating. He stared as Naruto practically breathed down the noodles. "Look...sorry."

Naruto shrugged it off. "You didn't know. It's not like it was something the other me had to deal with before. It's not a big deal," he said in between bites. He lifted his head to give Sasuke a faint smile. "It seems that we still have to learn about each other, hmm?" he asked. "Even if we're the same people, there are enough differences that cause a rift. I don't want to ruin anything while I'm here."

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke said, grabbing a pair of his own chopsticks. "Besides, I think we're getting along fine."

Naruto glanced over at him to see a small smirk on his lips. He rolled his eyes, realizing Sasuke was referring to what they'd just done in the alley.

He stared at Sasuke, wanting to ask just how they got together, but positive that it didn't need to be asked in a public setting.

"I don't care," he muttered. "We need to talk and we're going to do it." He slurped down the rest of his noodles, finishing his meal before Sasuke had the time to take a few bites. "Or else." He smirked.

Sasuke gave him a curious look when he didn't finish.

"Or else you don't get payment for services rendered," Naruto said, sounding as businesslike as possible.

Sasuke swallowed his mouthful of ramen before he could spew it all across the countertop. "Did you just...?" Sasuke snorted and shook his head. "Never mind."

Naruto smirked at him, handing his bowl back to the owner, a satisfied look on his face as he dug out his wallet and handed over enough money for two bowls of ramen. The look he gave Sasuke said everything. _Hah. Maybe he'll see that's payment enough if he doesn't get his act together and answer some of **my** questions, damn it._

With the look Sasuke gave him, he knew his message had been received. "Naruto," Sasuke growled.

Naruto gave him an innocent grin before purposely changing the subject. "I was wondering. Is Iruka still teaching at the academy? I want to look around, see if things are the same."

Sasuke didn't reply, just continued eating his ramen in silence.

"How about Kakashi? Is he still a pervert? And...and the Hyuugas! Has the Yondaime done anything about the way the clan is run?"

Sasuke thunked him lightly on the head. "We'll talk in private," he muttered. "Or else you're going to have people giving you stranger looks than normal." He sighed at Naruto's confused look. "You're expected to know these things already, Naruto." The same hand that smacked him rested gently on his head. "I promise I'll answer your questions... as long as you answer some of mine."

Naruto pushed away Sasuke's hand and shrugged. "I'm nothing if not reasonable."

Sasuke snorted at that, ignoring Naruto's broad grin. He finished up his noodles and stood from his stool, wiping his mouth on a napkin. "So let's talk then." He pushed past the flaps that hung over the entrance to the stand, he and Naruto walking side by side down the street, away from the crowd of the market place.

Naruto looked around and he meandered along the pathways until his feet took him to the old training grounds--the memorial where Sasuke had committed his first act of human kindness in Naruto's book.

"Heh, this place should do." He leaned against one of the logs.

Sasuke sank to the ground, leaning against another of the logs and propping his arms on his raised knees. "So?" he said. "Talk."

Naruto angled him an irritated look. He turned to look at a crop of trees that shielded the monument from view. He would have walked over and looked at it if not for fear of the names he might find there.

"Why aren't you as much of an asshole to me as the Sasuke I know?" he asked bluntly. He didn't quite mean for it to come out that way, but it just did. "And this is _before_ the Orochimaru shit that he went through." Naruto's lips were pressed into a thin line as that memory surfaced in his mind. "You had to become friends with me somehow."

Sasuke stared at some distant spot and asked, "Do you remember our first major mission?"

Did Naruto remember? He would never forget. "Of course. Wave country."

"Yeah," Sasuke said softly. "I guess that's when it began." He turned his face to look at Naruto. "Would you agree?"

Naruto couldn't deny that that was when he had come to terms with the strength of his feelings for Sasuke, even if they hadn't been romantic feelings at the time. Naruto hunched his knees up to his chest.

"That was the first time that kyuubi really broke free, too," he said softly. "I... " He made a face and looked over at Sasuke. "Even if you didn't act like it towards me, you were a friend... or at least someone I didn't want to lose to. I didn't have anyone at all--" He made a face. "I don't know how different it was for you when it happened, but..."

Sasuke returned to staring off into the distance. "It couldn't have been that different. Haku--" Sasuke noted how Naruto looked down at his lap, expression torn between sadness and anger. "--was a strong opponent. I still can't quite say what made me do it."

"That doesn't really matter anymore. Your body understood what we were to each other even if your mind hadn't yet accepted it."

Sasuke gave a faint smile. "Kakashi said the same thing to you, too?" he asked. He shook his head. "But we trained together. We were always trying to beat the crap out of each other and we still do. But ... I realized at one point that you were my friend." He tilted his head and looked at Naruto. "When did the other Sasuke tell you that he was your friend?"

Naruto's laugh was humorless. "Not too long before he tried to kill me."

Sasuke frowned at the thread of pain behind Naruto's words. He doubted even Naruto realized it was there. "Why did he try to kill you?"

Naruto paused a long moment before turning to Sasuke. "What did your brother tell you the night your clan...?" He didn't finish the question, knowing Sasuke would catch on. And the moment he did, his dark eyes widened just a fraction.

"To get the power I needed to kill him, I had to kill my best friend." His eyes closed and he shook his head. "Jeez, what an idiot," he muttered. "I told the other you that, too—that I needed to kill the person closest to me." His eyes were sad as he turned to Naruto. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Naruto. And I wish I could reassure you, but had it happened to me, I don't know if I wouldn't have taken the power he offered."

Naruto shook his head to disavow Sasuke of the notion; Naruto was not expecting reassurance from Sasuke, just a semblance of understanding. "In the end, he couldn't kill me…and not just because of kyuubi. He could have killed me after I was knocked out, but when I opened my eyes, the other you was nowhere in sight. We tore each other up pretty badly, but he just left after that."

"But...he came back," Sasuke said, unable to believe that he would abandon Naruto forever. Eventually, the crushing wave of rage and revenge would pass and give way to reason. Wasn't that the way of things? His ultimate goal was to defeat his brother, but the biting hatred and sharp edges of his bitterness had faded enough for him to be reasonable in his approach to fulfilling that goal. He had Naruto to thank for a great deal of that.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "It hasn't been that long since he came back." Naruto clenched his fist. "He's still hurting, and I can't do a damn thing about it. Even if he didn't trust anybody, he trusted me a little. Now he hardly even deals with me and it pisses me off!" Naruto shouted.

"So make him look at you. You've done it before," Sasuke said evenly, giving Naruto a small smile. "You...the other part of you, that is...forced me to face how I felt about you. It started out as a fight. Everything between us starts with a fight." He grunted softly, almost fondly at the thought.

"You mean you didn't just fall for my charms right away?" Naruto asked, his lips forming into a half-smile.

Sasuke snorted. "A loudmouth like you?" he asked incredulously. "I thought you were a waste of air at first." He smirked and ran a hand through Naruto's hair. "Besides, I was too busy pummeling you into the ground, because you acted like an idiot, complaining about how you were sick of your father being looked at with pity because he kept you around.

"I never pitied your father because you had the kyuubi. I pitied him because you were such a dunce." Sasuke ducked his head, dodging Naruto's open palm. "I kicked some sense into you eventually though. I had to learn early to ignore the looks people gave me. My goals were all I had. That you cared so much about what other people thought of you irritated me, and if you hadn't been in my face all the time, if I hadn't noticed how other people looked at you…" He shrugged it off. "The way you acted held you back from focusing on your skills. That's why you were such a dead last."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at him. "You're telling me that caring about people is something that would hold me back?" he demanded. "I'm going to be the Hokage one day, Sasuke, and that means noticing what other people say and being able to put it behind me." He shook his head. "I stopped being angry about what other people thought of me a long time ago. It's not healthy to harbor animosity toward an entire village simply because they thought you took away their hero. It hurt but, I dealt with it." He raised an eyebrow. "So how did I make you admit your feelings to me?"

Sasuke smiled at the memory. "You heard some villagers talking about how I was going to have to pick a bride to carry on the Uchiha name and you went berserk."

Naruto arched a dubious eyebrow. "Berserk? Oh really?"

Sasuke's smile grew. "Yeah, and you came straight to me, demanding to know who I was going to marry."

Naruto glared at him. "You're lying."

Sasuke shook his head, clearly enjoying Naruto's discomfort. "No, you blindly assumed that I was going to marry some brainless, fawning fangirl that I'd never even looked at in my entire life---and you tried to throttle me, asking who and why and then there was the 'You won't be happy with any of them' speech."

Naruto looked at him. "No way." He could almost see himself doing that, though--and it disturbed him. "So." Naruto almost didn't want to know. "What did you do?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I asked why you cared."

Naruto's shoulders drooped a little at that, imagining what his response had been. "I didn't make a fool of myself by declaring my love for you, did I?" he asked. He wasn't _that_ big of a lovesick idiot, was he?

Sasuke smirked and debated telling him that he did, but he decided that if they were trying to be truthful with each other... "No, you didn't." He smirked. "You said that I was an ass as it was, and no one deserved to put up with my crap."

Naruto waited when he paused. After several moments, Naruto grew impatient. "Well? Then what happened?"

"I asked why _you_ put up with me and you said probably the same reason why I put up with you."

Naruto tugged a hand through his hair. "And the reason was?"

Sasuke pushed his bangs back and blinked up at the sky. "I didn't know. That's why I had to really think about why."

Naruto snorted. "The other Sasuke and I ... we related on a lot of levels." He propped his chin up in his hands. "I thought we could be friends. I kind of wanted to be like Sasuke when I was younger..." He made a face. "Then Sasuke started acting like a prick."

"Maybe he realized how he felt about you too."

Naruto turned to look at him, lips pursed. "Huh?"

Sasuke shook his head at Naruto's expression. "I figured out why I put up with you and I didn't like it. So I treated you worse, to push you away. But you're so damn clingy and eventually...well, one thing led to another."

Naruto grinned at the smile tugging on Sasuke's lips and reached over to nudge the man in the shoulder. "I was clingy?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't the one trying to shove me into a wall while my father walked by." He smirked, and neglected to leave off the other Sasuke's comment about "Naruto" doing the same thing to him.

Sasuke snorted. "You were always around, always shouting and making faces. Jeez, I thought you were annoying."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"And after a little too much contact, I decided not all reactions were bad," he said, a tinge of color rising in his neck.

Naruto laughed and nudged him again. "You just sucked me off in an alley, and you're blushing about this?"

Sasuke turned to glare at him, although the look was lacking in anger. "I'm not blushing, moron."

Naruto smirked and leaned closer to Sasuke. "You _are_ blushing!" he said, chuckling. "Will wonders never cease..." Naruto gave a faint laugh. "You know, you're the only one I could trust to talk about with stuff like this? Even after... well, even after we went to retrieve Sasuke and, to the shock of us all, he returned almost willingly--" He shrugged. "It wasn't the same." Naruto looked uncomfortable. "Do either of us have friends besides each other? Actual friends?"

Sasuke frowned at him, hiding a sheepish look. "We have friends. Same people from our Academy days. We hang out from time to time. But we're always so busy with missions, it's not that often. You and Hinata spent a lot of time together a couple years back," he said with a tilt of his eyebrow.

"Hinata?" Naruto blinked at that, recalling the pale-eyed Hyuuga girl who reminded Naruto of himself, in the way she was determined to fight her own way, make her own path. "Huh." He smirked slightly at the look on Sasuke's face. "Jealous?"

"Hardly," he snorted indifferently. "You knew that if you hurt her, Neji would have your head. And eventually she figured out you weren't interested that way."

"What about Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei? They still around?"

Sasuke nodded. "We see them often enough."

"Sometimes I just kind of expect that those around me will always be there. After you left, I learned my lesson. But then you came back and it was you I focused on keeping beside me and everyone else I just kind of...took for granted." He pulled in a deep breath through his nostrils and shook his head.

Sasuke reached for his hand, unclenching the tight fist and interlacing their fingers. "I'm sorry you had to have such a harsh lesson," he said softly. "But just realize that even if this other Sasuke doesn't act like it, I'm sure that he appreciates you still being there for him. You are the one constant in my life, Naruto."

Naruto smiled and squeezed Sasuke's hand.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.

**Chapter 8  
**

Sasuke squeezed back before relaxing against the log, his head resting against the bristly bark. "What else did you want to talk about?"

Naruto slid down the log until he was flat on his back, staring up at the sky. Watching the clouds reminded him of Shikamaru. They had spent many an afternoon cloud-gazing, particularly when Naruto had been especially irked at Sasuke and had sought the lazy ninja out for company. Kiba had often been training with Hinata or Shino nearby while Akamaru had run circles around them, he thought fondly. He decided that he would have to call on them for an evening out if—no, _when_— things returned to normal.

He looked over at Sasuke. "You haven't asked enough questions of your own," he pointed out.

Sasuke regarded Naruto for a moment, slightly frowning before sighing, as if coming to a decision. "If you care so much about Sasuke, why haven't you done anything about it? He left you once, but he came back, right? He had to have returned for a reason."

Naruto slumped against the rough bark at his back and stared longingly at the birds circling overhead. "Sasuke is complicated."

Sasuke raised a mocking eyebrow at that. "The great Uzumaki Naruto is backing down from something?" he taunted. "Admitting something is too difficult for him?" He shook his head, lightly smirking. He knew how to push Naruto's buttons, and by the growing scowl on Naruto's face, he was saying just what he needed to antagonize him. "I knew thinking was hard for you, Naruto--but even this is a simple thing."

Naruto swatted at him, hard. "It's not easy for me, damn it. It's... complicated! Everything's complicated," he muttered, visibly deflating. "Things were actually starting to be okay between us before the chuunin exams. We still fought each other at every turn but we had an unspoken understanding. We fought each other, but when it counted, we fought _together_. And then Orochimaru came in and he closed off even more. Then Kakashi took him away for private training and it wasn't 'us' anymore. It went back to being 'me against you'.

"Anyway," Naruto continued. "Sasuke has had enough to deal with since returning. I don't want him questioning my friendship as well."

"Why would he question it?" Sasuke asked bluntly. "If I know him..." He paused and smirked. "And since it is me, I would wager that he came back because of you, idiot. I mean, according to what you've said, he and I grew up pretty much the same until Orochimaru showed up. What else was here for him?" His expression was a little sour as he looked away.

"If that's true then all the more reason for me _not_ to try and scare him away."

Sasuke looked incredulous and clearly affronted that Naruto would use the word 'scare' in reference to him. "Nothing you could do would scare me, Naruto."

Naruto snorted softly. "The other me apparently pinned the other you to a wall," he said dryly. "You didn't take it too well."

Sasuke felt his lips curve despite himself. "Well, if he remarked on it, then it must have affected him."

Naruto gave him a dubious look.

"I ignore and dismiss anything that doesn't matter to me."

"Oh come on, Sasuke, I pushed him up against a wall! His best friend! He wouldn't just ignore it."

"Did he kick your...er, the other your...whatever. Did he hit him?"

Naruto cocked his head, mouth hanging open. "I...I don't know." He tried to process that thought. "He certainly wasn't _happy_," he said slowly, remembering the look on Sasuke's face when he 'went home' for those precious few minutes. "He asked me what came loose in my brain and told me to go see the old hag because I was acting weird." Sasuke had looked rather pissed--but Sasuke _always_ looked pissed, so that wasn't anything new. "He certainly wasn't returning the embrace, if that's what you mean." Uchiha Sasuke, hug?

He glanced at _this_ Sasuke. Okay, _his_ Uchiha Sasuke, hug? Not likely.

"Of course he wouldn't return it," Sasuke said, tossing his head in a superior fashion. "His best friend jumps him and he isn't supposed to be a little thrown off? Hugging back would hardly be the first option."

"Yeah, but looking like I was taken over by kyuubi wasn't the next best thing," Naruto muttered. He wrapped his arms around his legs, chin resting on his knees. "I don't care if Sasuke never returns my feelings as long as he doesn't leave again. He's the one constant in my life--the only one that gives a damn about me."

"I think he feels the same," Sasuke said quietly, seeing the shadow fall over Naruto's eyes.

Naruto gave a small sort of shrug. "Maybe if things sort out in the end and I return to where I belong and your Naruto comes back here... I don't know, maybe I'll see where we stand with each other."

Sasuke considered him. "If he's been through all that you said he has, he probably doesn't trust himself to get close to you again without the chance of hurting you."

Skeptical, Naruto rubbed at his stomach. "I want to know what he thinks about us. I'm just afraid to find out." When Sasuke opened his mouth again, Naruto cut him off. "But I _will_ find out. It's important. After this--you and me and seeing how things could be--I _have_ to find out. Eventually."

Sasuke let it go, knowing it was useless to argue further when Naruto couldn't currently do anything about his situation with the other Sasuke anyway.

"Did you want to keep talking or go back?"

Sasuke looked up at the sky, gauging the time. "I think we better go back and at least get some stuff settled in the house." He smirked slightly. "Unless you wanted to spar to see who is stronger." His smirk let Naruto know just who he thought would win. Something Naruto said earlier made him pause. "Your father has never let me see the rasengan against chidori."

Naruto swallowed back the queasiness at remembering the last time rasengan had met chidori, the sheer power that had burst between them, the strain of having to pull back in time to keep from killing each other. But to Sasuke, he replied, "I wouldn't want to humiliate you by thoroughly kicking your ass with my father's, and now my, technique."

"Tch. As if you could humiliate me." Sasuke scowled at him.

Naruto spared him an exasperated tilt of an eyebrow. "Right. Keep telling yourself that, Uchiha." He smirked at the haughty tilt of Sasuke's chin. Pushing lightly off the log at his back, he stood, dusting off his bottom. "Do you think we should cook for my father? He has enough to do, doesn't he, without having to make dinner for us?"

Sasuke glared at him for changing the subject. "When's the last time you trained?"

"What does that have to do with dinner?" Naruto pasted a confused look on his face. "I don't know if talking here has gotten you all sentimental or something, Uchiha, but I think it'd be nice to have dinner waiting for my father for once."

And a few days ago he wouldn't have been able to say that sentence without wondering what was wrong with himself. Sasuke didn't seem to be buying the evasion though as his glare just intensified.

"Training, Uzumaki."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Not since before the mission that started all this insanity. So what? So it's been a while. Training isn't exactly foremost in my mind at the moment."

Sasuke wondered if he was deliberately trying to avoid fighting him. Naruto almost never turned down a potential opportunity to beat Sasuke.

"Training isn't number one for you?" Sasuke's brows rose. "Now I know something is up." He stared at Naruto as if he could figure it out just by examining him. "Just what is your problem? I assure you, even if you do have rasengan, I'd still kick your ass."

Naruto let out an impatient hiss. "Look, I don't feel like fighting you right now, ok? Ask me tomorrow, maybe I'll have changed my mind."

"Are you _afraid_ to fight me? Think my chidori will defeat your father's technique after all?" Sasuke asked, smirking, undaunted by Naruto's increasingly dark expression.

"I will never turn rasengan against you again, Sasuke," Naruto almost whispered, his throat constricted by memories of what could have been another lifetime.

Sasuke's gaze turned sharper as he caught the word 'again' and he looked more carefully at Naruto. "Aah... I see," he asked. At Naruto's slight nod, he couldn't help asking, "So, who won?"

Naruto turned and shoved his fists into his pockets, walking away back towards the road. "You disappeared for years and I left Konoha to train myself harder for when we'd meet again. I don't think either of us really won."

Sasuke's long strides easily matched Naruto's quick pace. "You're the one who wanted to talk, Naruto."

"Well," Naruto said, staring straight ahead towards the Hokage mountain, "we've talked enough for one day, I think."

Sasuke stepped directly into his path, glaring down at the shorter boy. "Don't you dare shut me out like this, Naruto," he said. "You wanted to talk, you wanted me to know what the hell the both of us went through. While it was me—_I_ particularly had nothing to do with it in this life. Don't get pissy at me." When Naruto's look didn't change, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Would it help if I said I was sorry? That it turned out the way it did?"

"No," Naruto said flatly. "Apologies don't change a thing." He inhaled deeply through his nostrils. "But you're right. It was something that happened between me and the other you. But while I'm here..." He stepped past Sasuke and they fell into step beside each other again. "...I kind of like looking at you and seeing what the other you might have been like. So for now, just let it go, okay?"

Sasuke turned his face to watch Naruto's profile as they walked. He wasn't so certain he wanted to just let it go, but as Naruto was closing himself off the more he pursued it, perhaps another time would be wiser. He nodded wordlessly. He supposed it was unfair of him to want to test their strength against one another right then, even if, at any other time, Naruto would have wanted to do the same.

The moment he gave in, Naruto turned to him with a broad smile. "You know how to cook, right?" he demanded. "While I'm positive my dad likes ramen just as much as I do..." Here his voice trailed off. "I kind of liked the other meals."

That bright smile was enough to tell Sasuke that waiting for another time was the right choice. "I can cook well enough. Can't you cook? You said you've lived alone all your life."

Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I kind of lived off ramen most of the time."

Sasuke gave him a look that said he wasn't quite certain whether to believe him or not. "_Can_ you cook?"

Naruto scowled at him. "Of course I can cook!" he protested. "It... it just takes too long to cook sometimes and I don't like the wait." He scuffed his foot on the ground, looking a little sheepish at that. "It's... it's just quiet, you know?" He looked up at Sasuke, knowing that his friend would understand.

Sasuke did understand. The kind of silence that echoed in an empty house always seemed magnified when doing something a family would typically do together, like sharing a meal.

He grunted, trusting Naruto to translate it as 'yes, I understand.'

"I've never cooked with anyone before. A _real_ dinner, I mean, not those small meals during a mission. What do you think we should make?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke gave him a considering look at that. "Well, I don't want you to burn down the kitchen on your first try." He smirked at Naruto. "So we can just try something simple like ... rice ... miso soup..." He pondered a moment. "Yakisoba." He nodded decisively. "Or is that too hard for you?"

Naruto hit him for that, grateful that Sasuke did understand, and that he was acting like his old self. "I've cooked it before, bastard." He tilted his head. "I was trying to... ah... make a meal for Sakura-chan, but she didn't really like it and..." He shook his head as his voice trailed off.

Sasuke wasn't too keen to hear about Naruto trying to woo Sakura so he didn't ask Naruto to continue explaining.

"Sasuke ate it instead," he said cheerfully. "I was really pissed off at first, because he kept making faces, but ..." He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "He didn't throw up or give it back."

"I'll cook; you can help me," Sasuke said, his tone leaving no room for argument. He had had enough of his Naruto's home-cooked meals to know that it was probably a good guess that this Naruto wasn't too great a chef either, even if he was claiming otherwise.

"He's my father, isn't he? I'll cook and you can help me," Naruto said, lifting his chin to look down at Sasuke, which was difficult because they were almost the same height, Sasuke being only an inch or so taller.

"Fine," Sasuke lied.

Naruto angled him a look through narrowed eyes, clearly suspicious at his quick agreement. "G-good," he said hesitantly.

Sasuke smirked down at Naruto. He knew how this was going to turn out--half the kitchen filled with smoke and Naruto panicking over the mess that was made.

Naruto's look grew even more suspicious. "You're thinking that I'm going to screw up or something, aren't you?" he demanded, poking a finger in Sasuke's chest. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I can do anything."

Sasuke nodded indulgently. "Right, Naruto." Maybe if he just let Naruto cook, but adjust and watch carefully over Naruto's ingredients, it wouldn't come out a disaster.

Naruto was giving him that look again. "Stop patronizing me."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "Wow. Big word, Naruto."

"You're doing it again!" His lip curled in disgust and he stomped ahead.

Sasuke snorted and let a small smile curve his lips. "Naruto."

"What?" he shouted curtly over his shoulder.

"You're going the wrong way. Home is this way."

Naruto blinked in surprise and then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I forgot about that," he said softly. "I think it'll take me a while to get used to the fact that I don't live in my apartment here." It should have been more obvious with Sasuke walking near him, or the fact that they were just discussing making a meal together. But old habits were hard to break and he never even thought about the direction he was headed; he just automatically went to his home.

Sasuke reached Naruto's side again and nudged him gently, teasing Naruto into indignation having lost its appeal. "Come on. We'll _both_ cook and see what happens, ok?" Sasuke rolled his eyes when, once again, Naruto angled him a narrowed look. "I'm serious, idiot."

Naruto wasn't so certain. Sasuke usually wasn't the compromising type. "Both of us cook?"

"Yeah, Naruto, that's why it's called cooking _together_."

Naruto gave him a genuine smile at that.

"Come on, that ramen wasn't filling at all and I'm hungry again. No wonder you always eat at least four bowls of the stuff." Sasuke took Naruto's hand in his, unmindful of the cursory glances the villagers gave them as they passed, and pulled Naruto alongside him as he picked up his pace.

Naruto's smile didn't waver and for the first time in a long time, he let himself relax, Sasuke insistently tugging on him and dragging him along. _This is what it could have been like, this is what I'm getting a chance to see_, Naruto reminded himself. _This is what it can be like when I go back. _Not everything could be the same, but rebuilding his friendship with Sasuke, trying to direct it towards the next level--that was his goal and more importantly, a goal that he could reach.

"See, I wasn't just being a pig." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke. "Ramen is cheap but not very filling."

"If you eat five bowls a meal, then doesn't the cost add up? Why not just get a decent filling meal for the price of four or five ramen bowls?" Sasuke asked reasonably.

Naruto looked insulted. "Because ramen tastes good!" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sasuke didn't dignify it with a response.

A few more moments of comfortable silence, Naruto smiling goofily at the feel of Sasuke's hand around his, and they had reached the house. There was no one home, which didn't really surprise either of them. With his father being the Yondaime, Naruto was surprised that he could even make it home for meals. Of course, the only examples he had of Hokage were Tsunade and the old man. He had never thought about their private lives.

Naruto kicked off his sandals and went immediately to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge to find the ingredients he needed. He was determined to cook this on his own--with a little help from Sasuke.

Sasuke came in behind him and immediately began to pull what they would need from the cupboards and reaching past Naruto, who was blocking the refrigerator, to retrieve items from there as well. Naruto turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. "_Who_ is cooking here?"

"I'm just getting out the ingredients since you don't seem to know where anything is," Sasuke said calmly.

"I do have an idea of what we need," he muttered.

"Only an idea?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "It seems this meal will go worse than I thought it would."

Naruto flashed him an irritated look and shut the refrigerator door a little harder than was necessary.

"Why don't you make the rice?" Sasuke said.

Naruto stared at him, glaring as he stalled for time, his mind racing to decide where the rice might be kept so he wouldn't have to ask Sasuke for help.

_Rice is usually in a bag, right? _He bit his lip and went toward a smaller cupboard, praying that it was there, but he was only met with dishes. He growled under his breath, determined to find the rice himself if he had to search everywhere in the kitchen for it.

Sasuke just watched him with a knowing smirk on his face.

Lip still firmly caught between his teeth, he opened a lower cabinet next to the refrigerator. "Ah ha!" he shouted. A large sack of rice sat at the bottom of the cabinet. Apparently, his father bought in bulk.

Sasuke watched with an amused twist of his lips as Naruto suddenly glared at the bag of rice, as if confused why it wasn't making itself. He assumed Naruto didn't know how to proceed.

It wasn't as if Naruto made a great deal of rice, and how much rice did you make for three people, two of which would probably eat a great deal? And the stupid bag didn't come with instructions. He pulled out a pot and hoped for the best, when Sasuke cleared his throat behind him.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

"Rice cooker," was all that Sasuke said, pointing to the appliance on the counter. Naruto flushed at that, but recovered quickly.

"Oh sure, if you want to do it the _lazy_ way."

Naruto kept Sasuke entertained for the majority of the next half hour, constantly elbowing Sasuke aside to take over what Sasuke had just done--and usually tampering with it and swearing loudly about burning vegetables. Sasuke would turn down the heat that extra notch that Naruto had turned it up, and elbow Naruto out of the way to fix the damage.

Finally, with mixed results, the meal was done--the soup and the rice looking edible, but the yakisoba was something... different. Naruto looked mournfully at the slightly charred and misshapen vegetables, and the almost blackened meat.

He looked up at Sasuke who had a smudge of some type of seasoning on his nose. "Well... it's the thought that counts, right?" he asked hesitantly.

Sasuke might have laughed if he wasn't so good at controlling his emotions. So instead, he smiled and slung an arm around Naruto, his lips brushing whiskered cheeks. "Your father loves all your meals, even the burnt ones."

Naruto laughed, wiping the smudge off Sasuke's nose affectionately. Then, unable to resist, he leaned forward, his tongue just lightly touching Sasuke's skin.

Naruto couldn't help but ask as his hands tightened in Sasuke's clothing. "What about you?" he whispered, lips brushing over Sasuke's skin with every word.

Sasuke cupped the back of his head and leaned forward to plant a firm kiss on Naruto's lips. "Nope."

Naruto looked surprised.

Sasuke raised his brows. "What, did you want me to lie?"

"Well, no," Naruto said, recovering quickly. Of course, he hadn't expected Sasuke to actually say yes. He was still Sasuke, after all. Brutally honest, even to his closest friends.

Sasuke snorted. "Get serious, Uzumaki. I hardly let you cook for me because I know this will be the result." He eyed the yakisoba distastefully. "I usually cook for the both of us."

Naruto shrugged, curiously immune to his honesty. They had known each other for years, after all. A small comment about his cooking was hardly worth angsting over. "But you always eat it anyway, right?" Naruto asked, already knowing the answer.

Sasuke gave him a funny little smile. "Yeah, I do."

Naruto grinned at that and poked the yakisoba again. "Well, I hope my father isn't that hungry," he muttered. "Unless we have ramen as back up." He was oddly touched by the fact that Sasuke ate his food anyways, and found another similarity between his Sasuke and this other one. He spun on his heel, nearly losing his balance at the sudden wave of dizziness.

"How many times do I have to tell you that ramen is not a suitable back up food?" Sasuke quipped dryly.

Naruto looked back at the table laid out with their dinner. The only problem with the setting was that the table was now a small square table set in the middle of Sasuke's kitchen. Sasuke's kitchen in Sasuke's apartment. And by the looks of their dinner--their fully edible dinner--Sasuke had cooked.

"Uh..." Naruto began, looking around the kitchen. "I think it happened again."

Sasuke took the switch in stride, not even giving a reaction to it, but gestured to the seat next to him. "You still need to eat." he said. "We can talk once we're both sitting." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Apparently, no matter where you're from, you still don't know what is good for you." Sasuke lifted an eyebrow at Naruto's crestfallen expression. "What? You aren't glad to be back here?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just..." _I wanted to see my father's face when he came home for dinner_. Naruto smiled apologetically, and sat in the seat Sasuke had indicated. "It's nothing."

Naruto made the conscious decision to stop trying to act like the other Naruto. This room, this Sasuke, this small dinner for two. This was his life.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.

**Chapter 9**

Sasuke's other brow rose, but he didn't say anything. "I take it that things were the same again?" he questioned dryly. He knew not to push the subject of Naruto's father. The 'other' Naruto, as he had begun to call him, had chattered non-stop about how he'd make meals for his father like this with Sasuke's help, and the results usually ended up inedible. That was when they got on the subject of ramen being a good back up in case things messed up.

Naruto nodded, a smile on his face. "Sasuke, the other one, helped me make yakisoba for my... father." It was weird talking to this Sasuke about a father he never had. "The results weren't too good."

Sasuke grunted softly. "That's no surprise." Sasuke leaned over the table and scooped some rice into his bowl. "Well, eat."

Naruto followed suit, his motions more mechanical than anything, as his eyes and his mind was still roving over the kitchen and the familiar furnishings of Sasuke's clean apartment.

"So you're actually spending time with this other Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto tried not to be jealous of himself. How many times had he been over to Sasuke's apartment, eaten dinner with him?

Sasuke snorted. "Tsunade said that it would be best if I looked after him," he said. "He's confused, because to many things are different for him."

Sasuke gave him a curious look when Naruto looked away.

After a moment, Naruto looked back at him, fiddling with his chopsticks. "So what do you and the other me talk about?" he asked tentatively. "Or do you do the silent routine like you do with everyone that doesn't know you?"

Sasuke flicked a lock of black hair out of his eye and met Naruto's curious gaze. "Tricky thing about this situation is that he _does_ kind of know me. Or at least, part of me. And he looks like you and he acts, for the most part, sort of like you. I don't know. He asks a lot of questions so I just answer him when I can because he won't shut up if I don't. It's annoying."

Naruto pursed his lips. "What kind of questions?"

"You know, things about the village, the Hokage, history. A lot of personal questions too," he said, with a little frown.

Naruto blushed and looked away. "Well, the other you and me are a lot... closer than we are," he said. "Things aren't always the same between the two worlds or realities, I guess. Circumstances..." He gave a faint smile. "I guess I can apologize for my other self since _your_ other self apologized for ... other things."

"I know what the circumstances are between our other selves," Sasuke said briskly, averting his gaze.

Naruto looked back at him. "Do you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes impatiently. "Well, after we figured out what was going on, it didn't take long for me to reason out why he jumped me yesterday morning. And didn't you confess to the same thing happening to you in Hokage-sama's office earlier?"

"Oh, right," Naruto mumbled. "And... have you two..." Naruto felt his cheeks burn and shoveled more food into his mouth, muttering, "Never mind."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before shaking his head quickly. "No, we haven't," he said bluntly. "Although you didn't say anything before about not letting the other me kiss you."

Naruto felt his face redden further, stuffing his face with food to keep from having to reply.

Sasuke lifted a cup of tea to his lips and snorted into the drink.

Swallowing thickly, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Sasuke. "For your information," he said, standing up and poking a finger into Sasuke's chest. "You were the one that pinned _me_ to the wall and said that it would be okay." His cheeks darkened further as he recalled what Sasuke did to him against the alley wall and chose not to mention that incident.

"And I suppose you just nodded your head and listened to whatever _I_ had to say?" Sasuke smirked as he set his teacup back down. "I can't recall you ever being so cooperative."

Naruto made a small strangled sound of frustration. "And why are you so keen to hear about the details anyway?"

The smirk fell from Sasuke's lips and he pinned Naruto with his blank, but all too effective glare. "I find it peculiar that you allow that person to get away with doing such things."

_I'd let you get away with them too_, Naruto thought, but wisely kept that to himself.

"You should have heard the encouraging comments that my father made." Naruto snorted and a small, amused smile crossed his lips. "It wasn't like a great deal happened, Sasuke." His expression turned inward. "You wouldn't take no for an answer and you were determined that I had lost my mind because I told you... the other you... that you never liked me like that... hell, never much at all." The smile fell away for a brief moment.

Sasuke opened his mouth, as if to say something, before he closed it again and took another sip of his tea.

"Why are we friends, Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly, his voice barely audible but for the silence of the room. He thought he should know the answer, and perhaps, he had at one time. He wondered when it was that he had lost sight of those reasons; when reasons had suddenly become unnecessary for him to stay by Sasuke's side.

Sasuke quickly set his cup down, glad he hadn't taken more than a sip or he'd have embarrassed himself by coughing all over their food. Their friendship--if it could be called that--had never been questioned before, much less by themselves.

"What the hell are you talking about, idiot?" he demanded. "I never thought our friendship was in such poor shape that you had to _question_ it before."

Naruto just gave him a stare that was reminiscent of his own.

"I can think of a few reasons," he said dryly. "But... I mean, it wasn't like you had anything to see in me like I did you. I told you that I wanted to be like you when we were kids but you never told me why you considered me your friend." He fiddled with his own cup of tea, not drinking it.

Sasuke's expression darkened. "I didn't willingly become your friend, if you remember. We just happened to be placed on the same team."

Naruto winced at the cutting tone of Sasuke's voice.

"But shit, Naruto, we've been through enough together that it should be a given by now that we're friends, shouldn't it?" Sasuke's voice remained quiet and controlled, and yet Naruto was given the impression that Sasuke was building momentum.

Naruto stood and gave him an angry look. "I never forced you to be my friend," he bit out. "In fact, I never even knew you thought of me as your friend until right before you ran off. Hell, you certainly never gave me any indication you did." He was trembling with anger, eyes dark as he glared at Sasuke. "No one held a kunai to your throat and said play nice with the monster, Uchiha."

Sasuke watched Naruto's balled fists and thunderous expression with one of deep interest, a look he rarely donned. "Has living with the other me and your father turned you into a bigger moron than you already are?"

Naruto's blue eyes flashed red. "No, you jackass, it's just made me question things."

"What the hell for?" Sasuke asked, his voice noticeably louder. "You have doubts now because I'm not pushing you up against a wall?"

Naruto flattened his lips. "I have doubts because you still treat me with so little regard despite this 'given' friendship of ours."

Sasuke stood and Naruto could tell he might have overstepped his boundaries. "I came back to this village because of you," he said, voice so low Naruto had to strain to hear.

"Did you really?" Naruto asked. "Or did you come back because you were so confident that someone would be waiting for you? You killed your brother and so you were certain that the Uchiha prodigy could come back home because of who you were. Everyone loved Sasuke, everyone would want to be with him again. Even your supposed friend--how the _fuck_ were you so certain that I'd accept you back after you punched a goddamned hole in my chest?"

"I wasn't certain," Sasuke admitted, although he didn't break eye contact. "And what the fuck do I care about what the village thinks of me? I came back because I thought...I hoped..."

Sasuke spun on his heel and stalked away. Naruto reached out, grasping Sasuke's sleeve. "Don't walk away from me, Uchiha. What were you hoping for?"

"Do you know, Naruto, that while I was with Orochimaru, I never gave Konoha a _second_ thought?"

Naruto dropped his grip on Sasuke's shirt, surprised by the remorseless way in which Sasuke spoke of that time. "Is that so?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's so," Sasuke repeated coldly. "But what I did think about surprised me."

"How you didn't finish the job?" Naruto asked. "You know, even though you were trying to kill me, I was still happy because you said I was strong enough to fight you equally, that you saw me as a worthy opponent... then you called me your friend." His eyes regained a little more of its original spark.

"I did think about how I couldn't finish that fight," Sasuke murmured. Naruto's lips twisted into a poor attempt at a smile. "And I thought about how I should come back to Konoha and see if I could."

Naruto swallowed, his nails digging into his palms. He didn't really want to hear this, did he?

"That's what I told myself, Naruto. But," Sasuke paused to give a humorless smile, "I've never been good at deluding myself. I couldn't kill you the first time around. I knew I wouldn't do it the second time."

"Then why did you come back at all?" Naruto asked softly, a bitter ring to his tone. He looked up at Sasuke, shaking his head. "You know, I could deal with it because everyone wanted me dead. It would figure my only friend would want me dead, too--and you were the only one who really tried." He turned his face away so Sasuke couldn't see his growing misery.

"Naruto, I came back because..." Sasuke swallowed and tried to get the words to come out. "I came back because you were here--and I wanted... I don't know what I wanted, but it wasn't to kill you."

Naruto's hands, shaking at how tightly he was clenching them, stilled at Sasuke's quiet words. He was still confused and his chest ached with memories best left in the past, but he felt perhaps all this resurfaced pain was worth that one small admission.

"You came for me...and I went back with you. I didn't know what I'd do once I got back here, but somehow, I just sort of hoped it'd be ok...because you were here. And I didn't take that for granted. I honestly didn't know whether you'd try to kill me or arrest me when you got me into the village, but I thought it was worth the risk."

Naruto's lips quirked up slightly. "There probably weren't any cute girls to fawn over you in Sound," he teased a little shakily. "You missed your fanclub."

Sasuke smirked, the tension seeming to drain from his shoulders. "One thing I didn't miss--being worshipped by the female population."

Naruto laughed and punched Sasuke's arm, carefully siphoning away his brief anger and frustration. He looked at Sasuke and saw there a warmth reminiscent of the other Sasuke, and his chest tightened, the echo of Sasuke's admission still ringing in his ears.

He knew it wasn't going to happen here--it hurt to admit it, but he told himself that he was used to it, that he had accepted a long time ago that this Sasuke, _his_ Sasuke was his friend and nothing more. No matter how much he loved him.

A strange expression had wandered across Sasuke's face. His eyes were contemplative as his hand rose, callused fingertips just ghosting over Naruto's cheek. Naruto stepped back, he was so surprised by the gesture.

He regretted it immediately as Sasuke blinked and, seemingly reeling himself in, smirked and said, "Let's finish dinner."

"Sasuke," Naruto said, wanting more than anything else to question the look in Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke ignored him and sat down again, avoiding looking at Naruto. Naruto was about to pursue the issue when a wave of dizziness assaulted him. He was starting to figure out the cues by now. "Fuck."

"Naruto?" a concerned voice asked as a cool hand touched his arm. He was still standing in a kitchen, but his surroundings had once again blurred into the Yondaime's house, and the gentle touch was his father, who was peering questioningly into his face.

Naruto shook his head. "It happened again."

He looked over at Sasuke, who was watching him just as closely as his father, and... for the first time since the madness had begun, wished with all his being for _his_ Sasuke back, stick up the ass and all. Naruto slumped into a chair, rubbing a hand over his face and looking up at Sasuke with vague amusement.

"We had a heart to heart," he said dryly in answer to the questioning look. "I hope my other self jumped you or something. My Sasuke isn't exactly brimming with affection." Sasuke looked away, a curious expression on his face, and Naruto knew he'd guessed correct. "Don't look away, Sasuke, he _is_ yours after all. It's not like you're cheating."

Sasuke frowned at him as they all retook their seats around the table.

"Well, Naruto, seeing as you switched before I got back, I wanted to say how impressed I am at your dinner."

Naruto's eyebrows rose skeptically.

The Yondaime laughed. "No, really. It's better than usual."

Naruto blinked at that and stared at the mess on the table. "You have to be joking." His voice sounded pained. "I cook for myself all the time. While it's nothing this...elaborate, I can usually look at what I eat." He looked over at Sasuke and gave him a genuine smile. "I'm glad that you got to reassure Naruto," he said sincerely. He snorted at the look Sasuke gave him. "Sheesh, it's like you expect me to be angry for kissing your boyfriend."

Naruto had to question, though, whether or not he could engage in... intimate activities... with this Sasuke again and not feel even guiltier than he did already. Same souls or not, this was still not the Sasuke he knew. This awareness, one he had foolishly pushed aside in light of the moments of happiness he'd been able to grasp here, brought back all the uncertainty and fear he'd felt upon first appearing in this world.

The Yondaime snickered. "There's a reason why we haven't touched any of the food until now," he pointed out, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You pushed Sasuke up against the counter and I had to call your name three times to get you away from each other and to the dinner table."

Sasuke snorted, but a faint blush was on his cheek. "Then you latched onto your father." He looked vaguely embarrassed. "I think you were crying."

Naruto blinked at him. He felt even guiltier now.

Naruto wasn't very hungry anymore, both from having already eaten with Sasuke, and from the growing distinction between himself and his other self. He wondered if he should voice his doubts. He knew the Yondaime would just shush him and tell him he was still his son, and while he admitted to himself that he and this other Naruto were parts of the same person, he could never take the place of the Naruto who had grown up as the son of a hokage.

He smiled sadly into his lap. Just as this Sasuke, free of the grim past that Orochimaru had given him, could never replace the Sasuke he had grown up with, the Sasuke he loved, darkness and all. It was strangely calming to finally resolve this with himself.

He stood up abruptly, shaking his head at the Yondaime and Sasuke. "We need to talk about what we have to do about this situation. As much as I enjoy viewing what this life is like, it can't go on like this. It isn't fair to any of us, on either side of the spectrum."

"Of course, Naruto," his father said gently. "But I don't want you to feel...unwelcome."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't feel that way. I actually feel really lucky that at least a part of me has what I've always wanted. And, with Sasuke... we really need to get some stuff out, I guess. I accused him of some bad things, he accused me of some things that were probably slightly truer--" Now a blush crossed his face.

"Sounds like just the kind of conversation you two need," Sasuke remarked knowingly.

Naruto made a face at him, but didn't argue. "Anyway, the next time I switch back, I'm hoping to continue where we left off." _And next time, I won't step back_, he thought, unable to help wondering what might have come about if he hadn't been startled by Sasuke's touch.

The Yondaime gave him a curious look. "It seems that every time you go back, you're with Sasuke. You and the other Sasuke are doing something similar in both realities--is that true?" he questioned. He smirked at the both of them. "Guess you two really are meant to be."

Naruto stared at him. "Just what type of father _are_ you?" he demanded. "I thought you'd want me to have kids or something--not be so... agreeable about my relationship with Sasuke." There, he admitted there was a relationship. Big step for him. He was almost proud of himself.

"You should be happy I'm so supportive," the Yondaime said, looking indignant. "Not all parents are so understanding."

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Has he always been like this?"

Sasuke smirked. "We had to convince him we were serious at first, but once he realized we were, then yes, he has always been like this."

"As much as I'd love to have grandchildren that look like me," he said with a grin, "who am I to stand in your way?" He said the last part with a wistful smile and Naruto had to shake his head and fill his mouth with food so he wouldn't laugh.

He hesitated and then asked something he had been wondering about for awhile. "Is there any chance... that we can train together?" he asked. He would never have another chance after he went back.

The Yondaime tilted his head and looked upward, appearing to think it over. "I don't know. I'm an awfully busy man."

Sasuke snorted into his teacup and Naruto couldn't help staring, abruptly reminded of his Sasuke doing the exact same thing.

"But I think I can manage to get away from the tower at lunch tomorrow for an hour or so."

"I mean, you're going to have to see if that old pervert taught me correctly, right?" he asked, smirking.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "As long as we do it far away from town, I'm game to watch. I don't want to see Konoha go up in smoke because you two went at each other with rasengan."

The Yondaime shook his head. "I am _not_ going to fight you with rasengan. But you _can_ show me your techniques so I can criticize you."

"You mean critique me," Naruto corrected.

"No," the Yondaime said with a broad grin, "criticize."

Naruto gave him a flat look. "Riiiight. Well, looking forward to it then, _Dad_," he said, a challenge accompanying the word. "The old pervert had failsafe teaching methods, most of the time. Like when he treated me to a last meal then shoved me off a cliff and the only way to save myself was to tap kyuubi's chakra correctly and summon a frog to help me."

The Yondaime gave a start. "Pushed you off a..." He muttered something Naruto was certain wasn't polite under his breath. "I'm making a list of everything I need to yell at him for."

"Well, to be fair, the Jiraiya who taught _me_ isn't the one you know. I mean, you know him but...well, ah geez, you know what I mean."

"Be that as it may, I am unlikely to ever come face to face with _your_ Jiraiya so mine will simply have to put up with it. I have little doubt he wouldn't do the same anyway."

Naruto snorted at that. "I'm sure," he muttered. "Well, it was enlightening talking to the fox as it was." He sounded vaguely amused. "Blackmailed him so that he'd give me his chakra until we synchronized completely." He fiddled with his chopsticks. "Ero-sennin never told me that you were my father--not once." He shook his head, a little annoyed. "Even when he taught me that move and told me stories about you as a genin." He forced a bright smile on his face. "So tomorrow you'll test me?"

"Sure. What kind of father would I be if I didn't make time for my son?"

Naruto shrugged and stared down at his plate. "If the other Naruto loves you so much, I'm sure you're a great father."

The Yondaime set down his chopsticks and Sasuke suddenly found the floor fascinating.

Naruto blinked, unsure why the room got so quiet and the Yondaime was staring at him so intensely. "Uh..."

"You're a good son, Naruto," his father said. "I'm sorry I can't be with you in your world." His voice was whisper soft but the honesty in his words still carried through.

Naruto shrugged and didn't reply, not quite willing to let the conversation become any more personal.

Sasuke stood, carrying his plate with him to the sink.

"It wasn't your fault," he said quickly, standing up himself and avoiding looking at him. It wasn't the Yondaime's fault that he didn't know how to deal with a father. The most social interaction he'd gotten was with his old genin team, and now Sasuke. And it wasn't like Sasuke was known for his great conversation skills.

"I think I should go home tonight. Let you two talk," Sasuke said, returning to the table.

Naruto immediately shook his head, afraid, for reasons he didn't want to acknowledge, of being alone with his father. Sasuke was his anchor, his reassurance, in this world.

Sasuke's brow rose at that and he stood in front of Naruto, one hand on his shoulder. "Naruto." He kept his voice low and reassuring. "You do need to talk to him. He is your father and if you don't have him in your world, talk with him now," he murmured. He could see the desperate need for reassurance. "We've had our talk and as much as I'd like to do more than talking with you tonight, you need to talk to him."

Naruto knew, of course, that Sasuke was right. But the fact remained that he didn't want to be left alone.

"We'll talk," he said, turning to his father, "but Sasuke...stay."

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue again.

"Look, I don't want to do anything more than sleep later, ok?" Naruto said, feeling the irritating warmth in his cheeks. "It's just...you being near is reassuring."

Sasuke smirked at that. "Can't live without me? Am I that irresistible?"

"I give up," he muttered.

His father turned to him. "I don't mind Sasuke being here while we talk, Naruto. I don't think we've had nearly enough time to do so--and I'd like to do more of that before I thrash you tomorrow in training."

"I'll go to bed early so you two can be alone," Sasuke said quickly, seeing Naruto rise to the intentional barb. The Yondaime stood, clearing away the dishes.

"Hey, let us do that," Naruto said, standing and taking the plates from his father.

"Ah, you're too good to this old man," he said, patting Naruto hard across the back.

Naruto shook his head and joined Sasuke at the sink. "Did you _want_ to go home tonight?" he asked him.

Sasuke shook his head as he imagined his own empty apartment. When Naruto decided to 'stay apart for Sasuke's own good', he couldn't stand how empty the place was and came over to Naruto's place instead. He didn't explain any of that. "I like it here better," he said simply, handing Naruto another plate to plunge into the hot, soapy water.

Naruto nodded, satisfied with Sasuke's response. Given the choice, Naruto certainly wouldn't choose to be alone.

"I wonder what the other...two are doing," he murmured. Sasuke looked over at him.

"Nothing we wouldn't do, I'm sure," he said with a smirk.

Naruto snorted at that. "Trust me--nothing that we've done." He knew his Sasuke all too well. "Tsunade told my Sasuke to look after the other Naruto, but you don't know how you are in my reality. Sasuke isn't very talkative or very touchy. He ... he ...." Naruto recalled that fleeting touch again. "He said that the other Naruto asked a lot of questions and stuff, but I know that Sasuke wouldn't even touch ..."

"You don't want him to?" Sasuke asked shrewdly.

Naruto, still guilty over what they'd already done, shrugged noncommittally. It was awfully hypocritical of him. "We probably shouldn't do anything anymore. To be fair to your Naruto."

Sasuke copied Naruto's ambiguous shrug. "The more we figure out what's going on, the more complicated it gets between us."

Naruto could only nod. He washed the plates carefully, studiously not looking at Sasuke. "I... I'm sorry for screwing things up," he said. "I guess on both ends. I mean, both halves must have gotten hit by the same jutsu..." His brow wrinkled suddenly in thought. "Wait... that's weird..."

Sasuke looked over at him. "That you're in idiot no matter what world you're in?" he questioned dryly.

Naruto elbowed him. "I was protecting Shikamaru," he said defensively.

Sasuke elbowed him back. "Do you think this would have happened to Shikamaru if you hadn't gotten in the way?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. He might not have had that extra chakra boost that kyuubi gave me." He grew silent at the thought of what could have happened to Shikamaru. "Good thing I was there to protect him," he said with a bright smile, drying the last dish and turning to Sasuke. "That's what being the Hokage is all about--protecting others at whatever cost."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We know what it means, Naruto, but you are damn lucky to have that stupid fox in you. Who knows where you could have ended up?"

Naruto snorted. "It's ironic, isn't it? That this fox should be both a blessing and a curse?"

"Most things are," Sasuke said.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: **Parallels  
**Authors:** Lazuli and Questofdreams  
**Rated: **R  
**Comment: **Thank you to both **proud snapist** and **Tabby** for beta-ing.

**Chapter 10**

"It's ironic, isn't it? That this fox should be both a blessing and a curse?"

"Most things are," Sasuke said.

"Huh." Naruto didn't respond, thinking about how his time here with Sasuke was similar--being able to see what at least a part of him had.

Sasuke turned to him again after Naruto had put away the last dish and watched him carefully, assessing him for something that Naruto couldn't see. "I'll be nearby, Naruto, but try and talk to him alone first."

Naruto nodded, nudging Sasuke in the direction of the stairs. Sasuke reciprocated by shoving Naruto towards the living room. Naruto chuckled, muttered "jerk" under his breath and waited until he heard the door to his bedroom upstairs close before joining his father in the living room.

The Yondaime was sitting on the sofa, scrolls piled up at his feet and one open on his lap.

Naruto's attention was immediately caught by what he was doing. "What is that for?" he asked, kneeling beside one of the scrolls and picking it up.

The Yondaime smiled at him. "Just looking over some old laws. I'm meeting with a dignitary from Lightning later this week." He sighed. "Lightning and Leaf have never been on the best of terms."

"Oh. I thought maybe you were trying to find out how to fix our...situation."

The Yondaime put aside the scroll at the inflection in Naruto's voice. "I've been sparing as much time as possible to look up old legends. But I'm still Hokage, Naruto. I have duties."

Naruto blushed and looked away. "Yeah, I know that," he said. "Tsunade-bachan tried finding ways to help me with Kyuubi and all, but she never expected to actually be Hokage." He grinned at that. "I tricked her into coming back to Konoha."

"I wouldn't put that past you," the Yondaime remarked with a matching grin. "Maybe you should start reading these too, eh? Good preparation for the future."

Naruto made a face. "Tsunade-bachan said the same thing to me a few weeks ago."

"Well, Naruto, if two Hokages are advising you read up on your laws, then it's probably a good suggestion."

"I can always read it later. I'm younger so my mind will retain information longer and quicker than yours or the old hag's." He dodged a swipe of his father's hand.

"It's a hint, brat." He thwacked him on the head. "I doubt Tsunade would have you reading up if she wasn't preparing you for something."

Naruto gaped at him for a moment, a little stunned at the sudden realization. "Heh... I guess it wouldn't hurt."

As much as simply reading next to each other appealed to Naruto, he wanted to learn more about this man. There were questions swarming in his head about the Yondaime's youth and his team and...and if he mustered the courage, about his mother.

But for now, he appeased himself with saying, "I was always curious about Kakashi-sensei and how he got the sharingan and why he's so perverted and always late. Has he always been that way?"

His father grew silent for a moment, obviously weighing his words. "Most of that he got that from his teammate, Uchiha Obito." He nodded with a faint smile at the way Naruto started at the name. "Yes, Kakashi had an Uchiha on his team as well. They were friends, but...the kind of friends that you and Sasuke were. They appeared to dislike each other more often than not." Settling the scrolls aside, he considered how to tell Naruto. "And he received the sharingan from Obito as well."

"But that means..." Naruto said softly.

"Yes. Obito died very young," he said with a small shake of his head, a strange look in his eyes.

Naruto knew what it was like to lose a comrade, but he wondered what ghosts haunted his father for having lost someone he was supposed to have been responsible for.

"Kakashi blames himself. I think maybe as a way for Obito to live on, Kakashi sort of took on some of Obito's habits. You'd have to ask him yourself, of course, to be certain." The Yondaime smiled ruefully. "Obito's parting gift for his friend was the sharingan."

"He talked about how people that don't take care of their teammates are trash." Naruto fiddled with one of the scrolls. "But he never told us why or anything." He forced a smile on his face. "So Kakashi-sensei picked up his friend's habits? That's an odd way of remembering someone."

He couldn't imagine losing Sasuke... much less _acting_ like Sasuke. He shuddered. He didn't think he could ever be such a prick, even if he was mourning.

The Yondaime seemed to know exactly what Naruto was thinking because he started chuckling. "You and Sasuke are different like Kakashi and Obito were. You'd be surprised how much death can change a person."

He surveyed a scroll thoughtfully, letting the silence linger a little while longer, not exactly sure what else his father wanted to talk to him about, and uncomfortable about initiating another painful topic.

"How is Konoha in your world, Naruto? Peaceful?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"It's alright. Things are always uncertain, but at least we're not at war," Naruto said with a light shrug.

Since Sound had been defeated, there had been few disruptions in the past years. Naruto was entirely grateful for the quiet, but he knew that underneath the political protocol was a ripple of discontent, a restlessness that would soon break the silence. He told none of this to his father, though. The man was the Hokage; he already knew how tenuous peace was.

He instead looked at the scrolls. "Are you training your son to be Hokage one day?" he asked curiously. "I mean, I guess it'd be strange for you to have me reading these laws and all if you didn't think I was ready for them."

"Naruto," his father sighed heavily and put aside a larger collection of scrolls, wanting to avoid the question, but still answered it with another. "Do you think that you'd be ready for such a position?"

Naruto appeared to be seriously considering his answer. "I do," he said finally.

The Yondaime nodded, pleased with the firm belief he heard in Naruto's voice. "Well then, you should be spending as much time training as learning the laws, even the minuscule ones," he said, gesturing to the scrolls lying at his feet. "You never know when a minor law might make the difference in a dispute."

"Has it ever?" Naruto asked mildly, eyeing the scrolls with apparent distaste. Naruto had never had the patience for reading and there were just too many kanji to remember for Naruto's taste.

"Brat." He ruffled Naruto's hair affectionately. "Even the smallest things can make a difference." His mouth twitched and it was obvious he was trying to hold in a chuckle. "Even a midget like you were as a child."

Naruto stared at him, mouth opening for a moment, but no sound emerging until he tackled his father. "Now that's not fair!"

"But true nonetheless," the Yondaime said with a laugh, tossing Naruto off him with embarrassing ease. "You were the shortest male in your class until you were 15. Even Sakura was taller."

Naruto crossed his arms, chin jutting out petulantly. "Well, if I've anyone to blame, it's you. I've got your genes after all."

"Ooh, that's all you can say, brat?" The Yondaime snickered and poked him in the side. "At least you're a respectable size now." He looked proud. "And looking more like your handsome father every day."

Naruto groaned and clapped a hand over his eyes. "Thank god I have more brains."

"I thought we agreed the night before that that was where you were lacking," his father said with a decidedly teasing gleam in his blue eyes.

"Do you _like_ the idea of having a stupid son?" Naruto asked.

"Don't be silly, I know you're not stupid. You just tend to leave that impression on everyone else." When Naruto continued to stare at him blankly, he grinned and said, "Just ask Sasuke. He'll be happy to explain it to you."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest at that. "Hrm. Well, I'm _not_ stupid and I'm going to make sure everyone realizes what a good job I'll do protecting them." He made a face. "Even if reading these laws are boring."

Naruto reached out for one of the scrolls and opened it as his father watched him. He frowned down at the contents.

"This is..."

"What is it?" his father asked curiously.

"...so boring!" Naruto cried incredulously, his eyes scanning down line after line of printed laws in the most boring and overly complicated language he'd ever read. There were words there he'd never even heard of before.

The Yondaime smacked him. "You're treating the laws of the town you're going to look after one day like they're a chore." He tried to act serious, but a grin suddenly broke out on his face. "I can't stand them, either," he confided. "But look on the bright side," he added with a wink. "After reading one of these, you can impress everyone with your expansive vocabulary."

Naruto gave him a look that clearly said he thought his father was insane for considering a broadened vocabulary as the 'bright side.'

The Yondaime shrugged. "Well, it impresses foreign dignitaries anyway."

"I'll keep that in mind," Naruto mumbled.

_Who in town would be impressed that I would know the meaning of big words?_ he wondered idly. _Even Sasuke would say something about how even monkeys could imitate things around them._ "What else do you do as Hokage?" he wondered aloud. "I mean, since everyone is all like, 'the great Yondaime' type thing around you."

"Do they?" he asked in an offhand sort of way.

"Now you're trying to be modest. Yeah, it doesn't work after you already called yourself handsome."

His father laughed outright at Naruto's condescending tone. "Well, no one has ever said it in my presence, but I've heard the rumors."

"Most of it is because of your sacrifice with the Kyuubi," Naruto said, abruptly sobering. "You died that day."

"Naruto." His father grew solemn and reached out to rest a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I left you with such a heavy burden," he murmured. "I never thought of the terrible things that might happen if I left you."

Naruto shrugged it off, embarrassed now. "Hey, I can deal with it, alright?" He forced a smile. "It's not like I'm totally alone. I mean, Kakashi-sensei cares a little, I think, and Iruka-sensei, and... and Sasuke." He laughed nervously. "And the old hag is a little harder on me than she is with the other ninjas but that's because she expects more out of me, because it's her odd way of caring."

He thought of his Sasuke, how they always exchanged cutting remarks when sparring but trusted the other to know that their insults were meant to be challenges, fully expecting the other to rise to their expectations.

"And Sasuke is there to make sure you don't lose sight of yourself," the Yondaime said wisely. "Even if you're not as close. Well, physically anyways, in your world, Naruto, you and Sasuke share something very special in the way you connect."

Naruto blushed slightly and looked off. "He's my best friend," he said quietly, and then jumped up, trying to break the solemn mood. "I... I'm going to um... train or something. Those scrolls are putting me to sleep." He didn't want to look like he was running away but it was disconcerting how everything they talked about seemed to return to Sasuke, one way or another. He promised himself he'd have a proper conversation with his father once he'd settled things with Sasuk.

"Naruto, you're not even reading them," his father said, smiling.

"Just looking at them and thinking about it is enough to knock me out for a week," Naruto said, crossing his eyes to demonstrate just how serious he was.

The Yondaime laughed again and stood to pull Naruto in for a hug. "Not so sure you should be training at this hour, but do what you will."

Naruto nodded into his father's shoulder and hated the sting behind his eyes. It was either train or head upstairs where Sasuke was (hopefully) sleeping.

Training was always his way of releasing tension, directing his energy so he wouldn't get down by the depression that tugged at him when he was younger. It was better now, he didn't train so much to forget as to really drive towards his goal. "You'll come and watch me tomorrow, right?" he asked hesitantly.

"I said I would, didn't I?" his father said.

Naruto nodded and smiled, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed at having needed to be reassured. Like a child.

"Uh, yeah, well. Good night," Naruto said and pulled away from his father's arms. The Yondaime told him to be careful and Naruto, warmed by his father's concern--something he wasn't used to--nodded before heading out of the house into the dark street.

There were very few villagers out now that the sun had gone down and Naruto found he rather liked it that way.

He could pretend like things were normal, that he was leaving his apartment to go train and avoid the gazes of everyone. He needed to vent his confusion, uneasiness and make sure he prepared himself to fight Sasuke when the other boy would appear.

Naruto shrugged off his vest and decided the best way to warm up would be to run laps around the field, just enough to get the blood pumping. His green vest fell with a soft hiss of material against dirt just as a twig snapped to his left. He crouched low and twisted, realizing belatedly that he had not worn a weapon's holster since he'd arrived in this world and was, therefore, unarmed.

_Good job, Uzumaki_, he thought dryly. _You're a real genius._ A ninja didn't rely on weapons alone, though and he posed his hands in preparation for a jutsu. His senses were trained completely on the sound, but he wondered if it could be a ninja, since they normally didn't make any sound.

"Naruto."

Naruto straightened, abandoning his stance. He knew that voice. "Shikamaru?"

And just as he suspected, the ninja strolled out of the trees as if lurking around the training grounds at night was perfectly normal.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"I was beginning to wonder if you ever go anywhere without Sasuke attached to your hip," Shikamaru drawled. "I've been waiting until I could get you alone so I wouldn't have to deal with Sasuke's temper."

Shikamaru looked at him expectantly. Naruto raised an eyebrow, wondering what the man was expecting to hear.

"The mission, Naruto," Shikamaru finally said with impatience. "How are you doing?"

Naruto blinked at him in complete confusion. "The mission?" he asked blankly. He scanned his brain from what he knew of missions involving Shikamaru and it suddenly clicked. "Oh! The one with that idiot who couldn't perform a jutsu?" he asked brightly. _And the one that sent me to this parallel world and is messing with my head as we speak?_

Shikamaru nodded, the moonlight just enough to illuminate his head and the expanse of his shoulders.

"I'm all right, all things considered."

Naruto couldn't see his face clearly but he imagined the tilt of an eyebrow was probably Shikamaru's only reaction. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if I were to sum it up for you, the condition of my physical well-being would not be an issue."

Shikamaru grunted softly. "Since when did you start avoiding straight answers?"

_Since always,_ Naruto thought to himself, but just shrugged. "Meaning it scrambled a few things up here." He tapped his head. "But nothing else was harmed."

Shikamaru grunted softly at that answer, but his deceptively lazy gaze was focused on Naruto, as if he knew something.

"I've spoken to your father," Shikamaru said softly, gauging Naruto's reaction.

Naruto's blue eyes grew sharper, but if Shikamaru could tell in the darkness, he gave no indication of it.

"He called me into his office the day after our mission. He said you were acting peculiar...couldn't remember things."

"Well, no need to worry anymore. We've got things figured out," Naruto said, turning his face up towards the moon so that his expression was lit by the soft glow of moonlight. He looked strangely wistful.

"I see." Shikamaru paused and considered his next words. "That jutsu was meant for me, Naruto. You know very well I was on that mission with you so you wouldn't be harmed." His voice was matter of fact. He never hid from Naruto the reason why people watched him so carefully.

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction. "I never asked for anything stupid like that," he bit out, turning away from Shikamaru and crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm glad I protected you. Payback for all those times you helped me."

"I was supposed to protect you, Naruto. I didn't do my job." Shikamaru sighed. "It's such a hassle having to protect you when you're always so bent on protecting everyone else."

"Are you trying to tell me your priority on this mission was just to keep me safe?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Well, no. The Hokage just asked me to keep an eye on you before we left."

"What?" Naruto's hands dropped to his sides. "Did he think I'd _need_ protecting?"

Shikamaru held up his hands, sensing Naruto's building anger. "Naruto, you're his son. It's not like he shouldn't worry about you."

Naruto growled, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm not someone who needs to be coddled and protected and I'm not just going to let that happen! People getting hurt over me... " His eyes closed briefly as he remembered Sasuke's limp body in his arms. "I'm just as strong as anyone else here."

He had a lot to talk to his father about. After he told Naruto he was strong, he sent people to _babysit_ him?

"And your father knows that, Naruto. Don't go blowing up at him just because he was a little worried. Look what happened; he had a right to worry, didn't he?"

Naruto spun on his heel and began to pace. Shikamaru winced. When Naruto started pacing, it was always a bad sign.

"I'm his son; you'd think he'd know my strengths the best," he muttered, prowling across the dark lawn.

He turned to glare at Shikamaru. "And nothing happened other than I had a few memories scrambled." _As far as Shikamaru knows_, he thought. He started pacing again. "I won't let him do this to me. It's not like me being his son makes me any more special than any other ninja."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, wishing he'd waited another night to seek the blond ninja out. "I thought you'd settled your issues with your father's protectiveness a long time ago. Remember when he used to refuse to send you on solitary missions? Be glad he's gotten past that point."

Naruto only continued to glare into the shadowy trees as he paced. It was good to know that the other Naruto didn't like being put under unnecessary protection either. _If he's me, why would he?_ he thought grumpily.

"It's still not needed," he said fiercely. "I'm strong and I'm going to protect other people. I don't need other people going out of their way to protect me." He gave Shikamaru a proud, confident look. "After all, one day I'll be the Hokage."

Shikamaru started slightly--Naruto had no idea how much he resembled his father at the moment. "I'm sure," he said dryly. "But it is our job to make sure that you can eventually get to that point."

"If I can't keep myself alive during a simple mission then I don't deserve the position," he snapped.

Shikamaru shrugged, conceding the point. Both men turned their heads as another presence approached. Naruto sighed and Shikamaru grew tense and debated disappearing back into the darkness.

A moment later, it was too late as Sasuke's figure broke away from the shadows. He glanced between the two men.

Naruto directed his glare towards Sasuke next, and Shikamaru was glad to be out its range. Dealing with Naruto always was troublesome, but Sasuke's presence made it more so.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Naruto demanded, stepping up to Sasuke and poking a finger into his chest. "That my father didn't trust me enough that he had to have people _babysit_ me?"

"Don't be a moron. I didn't tell you because you knew..." Sasuke's voice faded as he immediately realized _this_ Naruto didn't know. He rolled his eyes. "Well, in any case, you're overreacting again. Nobody _babysits_ you; your comrades just want to keep you alive. Which--" Sasuke added quickly upon seeing Naruto open his mouth to protest, "you always manage to do yourself, even if you tend to come away a little worse for wear."

Naruto reached down for his vest, brushing it off roughly before shoving past Sasuke. "It's my job to keep them alive," he said shortly. He was no longer in the mood to train so he shrugged his vest back on. "No one is going to go out of their way to save me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at that. "You're overreacting as usual and making a scene as well. Let's go back, Naruto." He nodded briefly at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru, having assured himself of Naruto's well-being, was only too eager to leave. He returned the gesture and disappeared.

Sasuke took hold of Naruto's arm and led Naruto away from the training field. Halfway down the road, Naruto finally wrestled free of Sasuke's grip and just barely resisted the urge to childishly shove the man away.

Sasuke, too irritated by Naruto's absurd behavior, let Naruto walk ahead of him, biding his time before Naruto ran out of steam.

Naruto's hands trembled at his sides. "So the reason my father said that you had to come with me on simple missions was because I need a keeper?" he snarled. "What is he so afraid of?"

"Use your head, Naruto," Sasuke finally snapped. "You're his son. How would you feel if you had to send your son off on dangerous missions? Be glad he's let up on you the last couple years."

Naruto knew, of course, that if he had to watch his own son go off on a mission where loss of life was always a possibility, he'd probably send an entire team just as back up. He sighed. He was still annoyed, and certainly still angry, but he also felt a little contrite.

Still—

"I've never had anyone do that for me," he snapped back, annoyed at Sasuke's tone. "You expect me to understand what it's like, Sasuke?" he demanded.

"Well you just had a talk with your father, didn't you? If the last couple days haven't told you how it's felt to be cared for, then you're just as stupid as you let everyone think you are."

Sasuke increased his pace, walking past Naruto, not quite caring if he left Naruto behind.

"I think I will go home tonight. Apparently, everything we've done and said to each other hasn't sunk in because you're still acting like you're alone, like you can't believe anyone might love you, like any second now you expect me and your father to just..." Sasuke suddenly came to a stop. "...disappear," he finished, his voice whisper soft. He turned to Naruto, who had paused beside him.

Naruto, his anger suddenly fizzling at the remorse in Sasuke's dark eyes, reached out to skim his fingers across a pale cheek. He gave him a rueful smile. "I'm sorry if I still can't seem to grasp the idea of being protected, as if my life holds value above others. I _have_ been listening to everything you and my father have said to me these past couple of days. And I...I've been happy. But I can't pretend that this is how things are because any moment now, this could all become nothing but a memory for me and I can't let myself think that it won't. And also," he said, brushing his thumb across Sasuke's lower lip, "I know you're still Sasuke, but I kind of miss the other you."

Sasuke didn't reply, merely looked contemplative as he turned to continue walking, Naruto matching his pace. "I guess," he finally said, "I have to confess that I miss the other you, too."

Naruto stared downward, watching the dirt pass beneath his feet, and wondered why he didn't feel the pang in his chest that he had expected. Instead, a sort of warmth curled comfortably in his gut as if that was how things were meant to be.

And perhaps they were.

Naruto smiled and turned to Sasuke again when suddenly the world tilted beneath his feet.

Sasuke, having noticed the signs, calmly remarked, "Moron, you look a little green."

"You try switching back and forth various times a day and see how _you_ look," Naruto muttered, holding his head, a little nauseous from the transition.

Sasuke, taking the switch in stride, continued walking, trusting Naruto to hurry along when he was ready. Naruto, settling his stomach, caught up fairly quickly and looked around the dark street.

"So what were you two doing out this late anyway?"

Sasuke ignored Naruto's suggestive tone. "Naruto wanted to train to take his mind off of things and I figured I should accompany him in case he accidentally killed himself."

Naruto gave him a dirty look at that. "Jeez, Sasuke, it's still me and you trust me enough to play with sharp, pointy objects."

Sasuke gave him an assessing glance and asked, "And since you don't look tired enough for training, what were you two doing out so late?"

"Concerned?" Naruto asked, arching a blond eyebrow.

Sasuke shrugged, indicating that he probably didn't care if Naruto replied or not. Naruto rolled his eyes. "I was going to train and I ran into Shikamaru. He just wanted to check up on me after what happened on the mission. Did you know he went along as my babysitter? And then when I asked you, you told me you had known all along that Shikamaru's purpose was simply to watch my back! And then you told me that you often accompanied me on missions for the same reason! As if I'm incapable of taking care of myself!" he shouted indignantly

Sasuke gave him a flat look. "Shikamaru was assigned to go with you because you needed his intelligence on this mission. Don't be an idiot. Hokage-sama knows you're capable of taking care of yourself."

Naruto snorted. "At least here I can do things without the fear of someone watching me from behind the bushes. I can go on my own missions. No one cares if I die—er, wait," he shook his head at Sasuke's dark glare. "That's not what I meant."

"You meant," Sasuke said impatiently, "that here, we understand your capabilities and won't underestimate you."

Naruto nodded and smiled appreciatively. "Exactly. So, how about the other me? How's he been acting since we switched earlier?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Like I said before, full of questions. Unfortunately, the Hokage has insisted I keep him company so I haven't been able to get rid of him. He's so demanding and clingy; it's aggravating."

Naruto looked mildly insulted, considering Sasuke was technically insulting him as well. He also clearly remembered the other Sasuke calling his other self clingy as well. "What do you mean clingy?"

"Well, considering he isn't as well adjusted to being as alone as you normally are, he never lets me out of his sight."

Naruto snickered at Sasuke's disgruntled look. "And since you've hardly been the attentive boyfriend, is he still trying to jump you or has he moved onto new pursuits?"

Sasuke frowned a bit. "Moved onto new pursuits?"

"Yeah, like Neji or Gaara," Naruto said offhandedly. Something akin to hatred flashed across Sasuke's face. "What, don't tell me you're still sore about not getting the chance to kick Gaara's butt."

Sasuke lifted his chin haughtily. "I could care less about Gaara."

"Alright, fine, then how about Neji? He's pretty enough," Naruto said with a snicker. He remembered that thoughtless kiss they'd shared years ago and wondered if he would ever tell Sasuke. It was a testament to their friendship that he and Neji had been able to move past that embarrassing moment.

Sasuke eyed Naruto briefly. "I notice that you haven't mentioned Sakura, Ino--or any of the other girls in the village. Just the boys." He smirked at Naruto. "Something you're not telling me?"

Naruto flushed. "Well, I figured since the other me was hanging all over you, he wouldn't be interested in the girls."

"If he isn't interested in girls, does that mean you aren't either?" Sasuke asked lightly.

"I... none of the girls in this village at least," Naruto said. "And as you well know, my crush on Sakura went sour years ago." He turned to look at Sasuke's pale profile in the dim streetlights. "If the other you is interested in me and guys, doesn't that mean you are, too?" he asked in return. "I mean... not me, but.... other guys? You stare at Neji's ass or something?" He smirked.

Sasuke gave him an exasperated look. "Why are you asking? Do _you_ stare at Neji's ass?"

Naruto managed to keep a straight face. "Of course not."

"Right. And if the other you is, as you put it, interested in guys, doesn't that mean you are too?" Sasuke retorted.

Naruto bristled. "What do you care what my preferences are?" He turned his face away. "I have enough against me as it is without giving the villagers more reason to hate me," he said.

Sasuke shook his head. "No one cares about your love life, Naruto."

"And I'd like to keep it that way, thanks," he said. He glared at Sasuke's calm veneer for a few moments before adding, "You know, Sasuke, you haven't exactly shown much interest in the girls here either."

Sasuke sniffed disdainfully. "As if I have time for something as mundane as romance."

Naruto blinked incredulously. "Mundane? How is romance mundane? Personally, I sort of like the idea of feeling that kind of affection for someone, and having it returned."

Sasuke didn't reply, his dark gaze staring ahead. Naruto continued watching him as they turned down the street to Sasuke's apartment. He remembered the last time he'd switched, earlier that day, and almost felt the ghostlike touch of Sasuke's fingers brushing his cheek again. He wished he hadn't stepped back and broken the contact. He wondered...would Sasuke let Naruto touch him like that?

He bit his lip. _Sasuke's touch... it wasn't just a fluke. I have to prove it to myself. And if he beats the crap out of me for it later, I'll at least have my answer._ Tentatively, he reached out, his fingertips brushing over Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke's steps faltered and then came to a full stop. He turned to look at Naruto, his expression curious. "Naruto?" he asked softly.

Naruto felt the warmth rushing to his cheeks but forced himself to meet Sasuke's gaze. "I'm just...returning your gesture from earlier," he said, wincing at how idiotic he sounded.

"I thought for a moment that you had switched back," Sasuke said, his voice quiet in the still night.

"What if I had?" Naruto asked, his heartbeat picking up speed.

"Then I'd probably be punching you about now." Sasuke swallowed audibly and Naruto made a mental note to tease him about it later when they were both acting more like themselves again.

"Why aren't you anyway?" Naruto forced his hand to remain steady as he took a step forward, bringing them closer, his fingers skimming up Sasuke's neck to trail along a firm jaw.

Naruto waited with bated breath as Sasuke's dark eyes peered into his own, as if searching for answers long denied. He gently cupped Sasuke's cheek and waited, wondering if he should just close the distance and kiss the man, hoping he wasn't misreading the signs.

"Should I?" Sasuke asked, something guarded suddenly flickering over his face. The last thing Naruto wanted right now was for Sasuke's doubts to win.

Sasuke's breath warmed his cheek, they were so close. His forefinger caught on Sasuke's lower lip, tugging just a breath, enough for his lips to fall open. He closed his eyes. Any second now they could switch again and this moment would be lost. Decision made, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Sasuke's.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our betas, **proud snapist **and **Tabby.****  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 11**

Naruto released a mental sigh of relief when Sasuke didn't immediately punch him. He nudged Sasuke's pliant lips a little with his own. It wasn't passionate, or deep, or anything like the other Sasuke had taught him...but it was fulfilling and wholly meaningful because this was _his_ Sasuke. His Sasuke who was just as lost as Naruto was about how to handle their twisted relationship.

He pulled back, biting his lip uncertainly. Sasuke was staring at him, an endearing blush staining his cheeks. Then an expression of such intensity flew across his features that for one terrifying moment, Naruto thought Sasuke really would punch him. Instead, he grasped Naruto's shoulders and pulled him back against him, lips pressing firmly onto Naruto's again. A moist tongue swiped across his bottom lip before he was thrust away yet again to stare into Sasuke's now smirking face.

Naruto, reeling from the feel of Sasuke's tongue on his mouth, gaped at the unexpected action. "Just... what the hell was that?" he asked, unable to help the grin spreading on his face as he recovered himself. "Man, Sasuke, you'd think that with everyone throwing themselves at you, you'd be better at kissing than that!"

Sasuke, looking affronted, turned away and continued walking, Naruto falling into stride beside him again.

"I haven't exactly had the chance to practice as much as you," Sasuke quipped, earning a dark flush from Naruto.

"I bet in the other world, I was the one who taught you to kiss, too," Naruto said with a smirk. "Guess we know who the dominant one is." At Sasuke's outraged look and the sudden clenched fist at his side, Naruto walked a little faster, not wanting to get the well-deserved punch for _that_ remark.

When Sasuke continued to glare ahead, Naruto rolled his eyes. He contemplated reaching for Sasuke's hand...and then thought better of it. Sasuke would probably be less than agreeable and Naruto wanted to keep all his fingers. Kiss or not, it was best not to push Sasuke. As much as Naruto yearned for Sasuke's touch, this small step they had taken towards something more was more than enough for now. And besides Naruto's wants, Sasuke was still rather averse to touching.

He sometimes wished that Sasuke'd get over his brother complex sooner so that Naruto wouldn't feel so guilty or hesitant about wanting to try to _comfort_ the bastard every once in a while.

"So...have you guys learned anything new since dinner?" Naruto asked, perfectly content to move the topic onto safer ground now that they had crossed the first bridge into becoming closer.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well, we know the connection is with that stupid jutsu you let yourself get hit with." He shook his head.

Naruto gave him a disgusted look. "Thank you, Captain Obvious," he remarked. "That one we figured out almost at the start."

"Yes, Naruto, let me finish," he said with an annoyed look. "If the jutsu is what started all this, it would make sense that a repeat of the justu might set it all right again."

Naruto looked at him askance. "That would make sense except...well, what if it just sends me into a whole new world completely?" He seemed to be seriously considering it, then gave Sasuke an intense look. "You know, you're always there when I switch... our other selves are always doing something similar..." He poked at Sasuke. "I bet you could act as an anchor for the jutsu."

Sasuke gave him a quick once-over, considering his words, before staring ahead again.

"Maybe if you were the one to perform the jutsu on me, it'd keep me from flying off to God knows where else."

"Do you even remember the jutsu?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto's face fell. "Well, not entirely, but I'm sure it'll come to me," he said with more confidence than he felt. "In any case, we should assign a time and place to do it so it happens at the same time."

"When do you propose?"

"I think I'd like a couple days to spend with my father before we fix things...if that's okay?" he asked, turning away so Sasuke wouldn't see his embarrassment.

Sasuke didn't reply to the question; he was more than willing to give Naruto more time with his father. He hadn't quite allowed himself to think about what Naruto must be feeling, given the opportunity he had to spend time with a father he had never known, but it was something that Sasuke was conscious of. If Sasuke had the chance…He shook his head free of the route his thoughts were taking.

"So, you're not as dumb as you pretend to be," he said. "You actually have good ideas every once in awhile."

Naruto glared at him and continued. "And my other self and I have to make sure Kyuubi is going to cooperate with this whole thing as well. If I'm a little green from the transitions, he must really be a mess."

Sasuke pictured a motion-sick kyuubi and almost smiled. "How do you plan to do that?"

"Well, I don't think it'll be too difficult, really. I mean, every time I switch I feel a little nauseous but none of my chakra is being used so the chakra for the transitions have to come from somewhere."

Sasuke realized what Naruto was saying and marveled that the blond had managed to make sense for more than two sentences. He arched an eyebrow and smirked inwardly.

"I can feel kyuubi getting restless whenever the transition occurs and my guess is that the chakra is being taken, maybe even forcibly, from it. Kyuubi will be more than happy to fix things."

They had arrived at Sasuke's apartment by this point and Naruto paused at his side as he released the various jutsu he kept around his home to keep it secured.

"What about you?" Sasuke asked bluntly, and tried to be a little nicer with his next words. "You won't have...your father." The word _father_ used in conjunction with either of them left a strange feel in Sasuke's mouth.

Sasuke finished with the jutsu and unlocked his door, pushing it wide and nudging Naruto ahead before following and closing the door behind them.

Naruto looked down at his feet as he toed off his shoes and made an honest search of himself for the answer. "I will miss him," he said quietly. "But even so...it'll be ok." He turned to Sasuke. "This is where I belong and...you're here."

Sasuke smirked at Naruto as he reset a couple of the security jutsus around his apartment. He hoped Naruto wasn't expecting a similar admission. Acknowledged emotions aside, they were still ninjas. He hoped he wouldn't have to break Naruto's pretty (he winced; did he _really_ just think that?) nose to impress that fact.

And as if the blond read his mind, Naruto continued the train of thought. "And I hope you don't think I'm expecting anything." He tried to sound self-assured. "Although, you know, I'm glad that we're... " He shut his mouth before he said anything incriminating. He didn't want Sasuke knowing yet that he'd been in love with the man for years.

"Took you long enough to figure it out," Sasuke remarked lightly, leaving his shoes neatly beside Naruto's.

Naruto touched his shoulder before he could head off into the sitting room. "Well, why didn't _you_ ever do anything before now?"

"Because I wasn't certain of how you felt until now. And now that I know, there will be no more hesitation. We're ninjas. We have to move with deliberation."

And to emphasize his point, he pulled an abruptly disoriented Naruto against him and pressed his mouth to the blond's, that pink tongue flicking out to moisten Naruto's bottom lip again before pulling away and smirking into Naruto's dazed expression. "Deliberate then act," he said before turning away.

Naruto, blinking away the residual haze, followed Sasuke into the sitting room. Feeling the need to reassert himself, he said, "You're right. We're ninjas and we have more important things now to worry about than your ... _attempts_ at kissing."

Sasuke gave him a scathing glare before he disappeared briefly into the kitchen. "Maybe I need to go practice with someone else so you won't be offended by my lack of experience."

Naruto winced, hoping he was only joking.

"I'm warming up some tea. You want some?" Sasuke called.

"Sure," Naruto said, dropping into the sofa of the sitting room.

Sasuke emerged from the kitchen before disappearing again down the hall.

Naruto crossed his legs over the plush cushions of Sasuke's furniture and smiled into his lap. He never expected things to turn out quite this way. Even with all the reassurances of the other Sasuke... it wasn't the same… it was better.

"I'm surprised you haven't had more experience," he called out. "With everyone throwing themselves at you." He paused and reconsidered. "Well, when you were younger, at least." It was strange that he could even forget the cold stares that Sasuke received more often than not now. Sasuke's betrayal was always there, lurking at the back of his mind--even if Naruto had forgiven him years ago--and in the eyes of the villagers who looked at the Uchiha.. But at moments like this...with Sasuke as agreeable as he could ever get, it was especially easy to ignore.

As for Sasuke's previous fame at being the last Uchiha in the village, his fan base has died off considerably at the initial betrayal.

But still, he couldn't help but tease Sasuke. Even if the Uchiha did kick his ass for it, he at least knew now how the man felt. "I'm sure you'll still have plenty of takers." He kept his tone light and joking--not letting Sasuke know how much the idea actually bothered him.

Sasuke didn't respond and he stood to see what the Uchiha was doing. He entered the hall just as Sasuke stepped out of his room sans a shirt. Naruto had seen Sasuke shirtless so many times he couldn't count them all, but this time, the sight of that pale expanse of chest made him pause.

"Um..." he said, frantically searching for what he'd been about to say.

"I'm not interested in any of those takers," he said simply. "The tea's on the kitchen table; help yourself. I'm going to take a shower. Try to remember what that jutsu was so I can reproduce it."

Naruto rolled his eyes once Sasuke's back was turned, but was distinctly aware of the warmth in his chest at hearing that Sasuke wasn't interested in anyone else. _Is he really interested in you, Uzumaki_? he questioned himself as he wandered into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of tea. _It's not like he confessed his undying love to you. You're the one who did everything...but he did say that he came back for you. _Naruto smiled at the memory of Sasuke's confession. _But if that's true, why did it take so long for him to..._

Naruto shook his head and almost laughed at himself. _You're acting like an insecure little girl, Naruto, _he thought and forced himself to snap out of it. Sasuke was Sasuke, and he wouldn't have him any other way.

He took a sip from his tea and set it on the side table next to the sofa as he resettled himself into the cushions.

_Now_, he thought _...about that jutsu_. He closed his eyes and thought back to the day of the attack. Just then the shower came on and he frowned as he was distracted by thoughts of a naked, dripping wet Sasuke.

He closed his eyes and blocked his ears--and even though he was sure he resembled a child having some weird tantrum, he couldn't stand the sound of the shower and the ..._Humming_...! Uchiha Sasuke was _humming_? He'd _never_ heard Sasuke hum before—he hadn't even known the man was _capable_ of something so... normal.

Ruthlessly stomping down on the all too vivid image, he reminded himself that he was a ninja and needed to concentrate.

His breathing deepened as he managed to relax enough for his mind to clear and slip into the meditative state that Ero-Sennin had taught him those many years ago. All he had to do was empty his mind and let the memories of that time resurface. Ero-sennin had made a rather rude comment about how easy this would be for the blond seeing as Naruto had very little to empty from his mind.

His hands slid back to his sides as he saw in his mind's eye the haggard face of their attacker. His eyes had a sort of haunted look and his face was shadowed by day old stubble. Naruto watched as he formed the seals: horse...ram...tiger...and dragon.

Naruto could almost feel himself pushing off the ground where he had fallen to leap towards Shikamaru who was fighting off another attacker and was unaware that he was being targeted. He watched the man as his mouth opened to speak the words of the jutsu.

The words which he had been uncertain of were clear in his mind now, and he groaned as he came out of the trance.

"Dobe, when I told you to think about the jutsu, I _didn't_ give you permission to start fantasizing about me. No groaning alone on my couch."

Naruto's gaze snapped up to meet Sasuke's amused expression. "I wasn't...ugh, never mind. I remembered the jutsu."

Sasuke lifted a dark eyebrow. "Good. Tell it to me while I get some tea."

"Well," Naruto began, head swimming with the image of Sasuke clad in loose pants, unbuttoned shirt, and hair still damp from his shower. "Um...right, it was horse, ram, tiger, dragon...and then he said 'nemuri no jutsu'. It was a sleeping jutsu," Naruto said with something bordering on bewilderment. "I think he meant to knock Shikamaru unconscious, sort of like Gaara's forced sleep. But his poor attempt botched it up."

Sasuke had returned from the kitchen with his cup and sat down beside the blond, listening attentively. Naruto might actually be on to something.

"Instead of knocking me unconscious, I think it just _attacked_ my consciousness... and in turn, it must have attacked kyuubi's too." He tried to consider that, the whole dynamics of it, but thinking had never been his strong point. "It's like whatever it did took all of me that's on the inside—my soul, my mind, whatever—and shoved it into another container."

Sasuke pondered that for all of half a second before smacking Naruto upside the head.

"You got in the way for a sleep jutsu?" he asked incredulously. "Fuck, Naruto--"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Then it wouldn't have been so bad if it just hit me, right?" he asked. "I can't imagine what it would have done to Shikamaru. Probably killed him." His expression turned sober for a moment.

Sasuke sighed and rested a hand briefly on Naruto's shoulder. "We'll fix it."

"I hope so," he murmured, giving Sasuke a grateful look for the sympathy. A sympathetic Sasuke was so hard to come by, he thought with a pang. "Anyway, kyuubi must have tried to retaliate when it felt it was being attacked personally and that burst of angry chakra...must have caused the majority of the damage. So...if we repeat the jutsu, I'm sure kyuubi will do the same and hopefully--" he smiled at Sasuke's somber expression "--things will be back to normal."

Sasuke gave him a sardonic look. "As normal as things are with you," he said dryly. "Why don't you go get a shower and relax as well? I'm sure there won't be any switching before the night is up." Here he paused and Naruto could have sworn there was a light blush on his face.

Naruto grinned at that, knowing full well what Sasuke wouldn't complete out loud. "Yeah, I agree." His smile turned wistful. "Although the Yondaime... my father... promised to train with me tomorrow."

Sasuke sipped his tea and nodded. "Sounds interesting. You can tell me about it when we fix things."His words sounded a little strained, as if he wasn't sure how to reply. Being _nice_ or giving comfort wasn't something he had much practice in.

Naruto nodded and stood. He watched Sasuke's dark head for a moment, until Sasuke looked up questioningly.

"What?"

Naruto sat back down and before Sasuke could react, he was being pressed against Naruto again, mouths meshed. It was Naruto's tongue this time that swiped at Sasuke's bottom lip before he pushed away. "Deliberate and act, right?" Naruto asked, a smug smile on his lips as Sasuke stared at him rather bemusedly. He stood up again. "Write the jutsu down as well as the appointment: in two days at noon in the hokage's office." He winked at Sasuke (who rolled his eyes) and turned away, heading for the bathroom.

It was halfway into his shower when he nearly slipped and brained himself on the shower door. Taking a moment to reorient himself, he realized that the switch had occurred. _My life sucks_, he thought. Of all the times the transition had to happen...

At least, he thought with a chuckle, he hadn't switched back to find the other Sasuke in the shower with him. Now that he'd kissed _his_ Sasuke--inexperienced cold bastard though he was--Naruto suddenly felt worlds guiltier about what he'd done with this Sasuke.

He wrapped a towel around himself and grabbed his pile of clothing, having forgotten to ask Sasuke to borrow a pair of shorts to sleep in.

At least he had training with the Yondaime to look forward to, and a good explanation of what they could do to rectify this problem. Despite all the reassuring words and kind gestures, Naruto knew--somehow--that everyone would be much happier to have the Naruto's in their respective places.

He hadn't been lying when he said he would miss his father... but at least now he knew who his father was and the kind of person the Yondaime had been. He knew that when the time came, it would be difficult to say good-bye, but...that was the way things were meant to be.

He sighed and swiped at the fog on the mirror, looking at his reflection, searching for himself in those wide blue eyes.

With another sigh, he finished drying himself off and prepared to tell his father and Sasuke that they'd soon have 'their' Naruto back for good--_And to make sure my father remembers I'm going to show him my skills tomorrow._ He wanted to make the Yondaime proud.

He opened the door and took a breath, peering down the hallway of Sasuke's house to try and catch a glimpse of his dark-haired friend. "Sasuke?" he called out.

"In here," came that familiar voice from the living room.

Reassured that he wouldn't find Sasuke naked in the bedroom, he darted into Sasuke's room—towel wrapped securely around his waist—and quickly set to looking for a pair of shorts. Then dressed in only Sasuke's black shorts, he returned to the living room, prepared to let the man know that he wasn't himself again.

"You switched." Sasuke's matter of fact voice threw him off guard, and he stared with slightly narrowed eyes.

"How do you know?" he demanded. "How can you tell I'm not the same Naruto as before? I don't look any different, do I?"

"There are differences." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "The look your eyes get, for one."

"What look is that?" Naruto demanded, spreading out on the opposite end of the sofa that Sasuke sat on.

"They're too wary...sometimes it's a little unsettling to see you so guarded," he said, shifting in the cushions so he could fully face Naruto.

"So did you two discuss any ways of fixing things?" Naruto asked. He smirked when the expected guilty blush tinged Sasuke's cheek just faintly.

Sasuke cleared his throat and looked away for a moment. "Something," he said after a moment. "We figured that the jutsu probably needs to be repeated--but we weren't sure exactly of how to do it without screwing up even more."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You haven't figured it out?" he asked. "I won't ask what you were doing all this time, because I think I've figured that out--but it's simple. You're going to act as the anchor."

When the blond paused, Sasuke lifted an eyebrow, waiting for Naruto to continue.

"We figured that if you're the one who performs the jutsu then you should be able to hold us down to these two worlds without one of us getting lost in some other one. We set a time: two days from now at noon in my father's office."

"I see. So the two of you have it figured out," Sasuke said with an encouraging smile. "I guess you two really did just talk then?" Sasuke smirked and was even a little surprised when something that looked suspiciously like a blush crept up Naruto's neck. "You _didn't_ just talk?"

Naruto coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "He hinted that he wouldn't mind so much and so I kissed him."

Sasuke's smirk broadened. "Was it any good?"

Naruto huffed. "Well, it wasn't like... a deep kiss or anything." The blush didn't seem to want to go away. "But it was..." He gave a faint, wistful smile. "I hope that Sasuke is still there when I get back."

Sasuke gave him an exasperated look. "Of course he'll still be there." Then he smiled, looking smug. "I told you he had to feel something more for you, didn't I? He's me, after all."

Naruto resisted the urge to smack his dark head. "Yes, I'm glad you know yourself so well." He shared a reluctant smile with Sasuke. "Anyway," he continued, "we figured out what the jutsu was meant to do." He explained to Sasuke about the sleep jutsu and how it had probably gone wrong.

Sasuke looked thoughtful at that. "So you are positive that my performing the jutsu on you--misplaced seals and all--will return things to normal?" His eyes betrayed his uncertainty. "You better explain to your father first, Naruto--I'm not going to be responsible if I bring back a girl version of you."

Naruto gave him a dark look. "Even if there _is_ a female version of me, I'm fairly certain things should go smoothly, especially if kyuubi cooperates." He eyed Sasuke curiously. "Would you still be attracted to me if I was a female?"

"I can't stand your sexy no jutsu. Is that answer enough for you?"

Naruto wished he had a pillow so he could throw it at Sasuke's superior expression.

"The idea of spreading the fact that Sasuke is gay through the village is running through my head right now." Naruto muttered, his words muffled by his hands.

Sasuke snorted. "Here, they've known for a few years, but if you mean the _other_ Sasuke--"

Naruto had to concede that hurting his Sasuke to punish _this_ one would be rather pointless so he rolled his eyes and muttered, "Jerk."

"Should we go back to your house?" Sasuke asked, inordinately disappointed that Naruto had backed down from his goading.

"It's late. I think it's ok if we stay here and then fill my father in tomorrow. I'll sleep on the sofa."

Naruto watched as Sasuke leaned across the sofa and was startled when Sasuke smacked him upside the head. "What was that for?" he shouted.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "After all that we've been through and done together..." He let his voice trail off meaningfully. "You think that we can't share the same bed together? We did so the first night you were here."

Naruto grumbled. "That was different, now I feel guilty," he muttered.

"Don't be a moron, we won't do anything. Now come on," Sasuke said, extending his hand and waiting expectantly for Naruto to take it.

Naruto bit his lip indecisively. It really was rather hypocritical of him to treat this Sasuke different from how he'd treat _his_ Sasuke when, on his arrival, he had let Sasuke seduce him because he'd told himself they were one and the same.

Sasuke gave an exasperated sigh and yanked him down the hallway. "Don't be more of an idiot than you already are. Unless you want me to resort to tying you up, I would think you could handle sleeping."

Naruto wrenched his hand from Sasuke's grip, but followed willingly to Sasuke's bedroom. "Just sleep," he said grumpily.

Sasuke turned to give him a look that said, 'that's what I _just_ said.'

Naruto grinned into his face and walked past him, determined now to show Sasuke that just lying next to each other wouldn't intimidate him. He picked a side of the bed and made himself comfortable.

Sasuke muttered something under his breath about how idiotic Naruto was being before stripping down to his boxers and settling beside Naruto.

"You don't have to feel guilty," he said into the silence. "We've told you enough times that there is nothing to feel guilty for. And the other me still kissed you after knowing what you allowed me to do here, right?"

Naruto grimaced and turned his face into his pillow.

"Naruto?" Sasuke said when the blond failed to respond. He propped himself up on his side and arched an eyebrow at Naruto's poor attempt to disappear into the sheets. "Is that a no?"

Naruto reluctantly lifted his head. "He knows we've done things, just nothing specific."

"I doubt the other me is that dumb," he said dryly, one hand going to Naruto's face. "Don't worry so much about things, Naruto. Thinking isn't your strong suit."

Naruto batted the hand away and buried his face in the sheets again. "Easy for you to say."

"How is it easy? I've known you for how long now?"

"No, you've known the other me, you don't know _me_," Naruto said, fluffing his pillow a little too aggressively.

"Are we back to that again?" Sasuke asked, sounding put out.

"We never left it! What was that big talk we had earlier if not to get to know things about each other that are different from our other lives? And since we're in bed, will we eventually get to actually _sleeping_?" he asked pointedly before giving him a dark look. "Just because we switched back before you could do more with your other Naruto, don't think you can use me for that. I want to get to sleep so I can be ready to train tomorrow. This will be the only chance I get."

Naruto turned to glance at Sasuke and was taken aback at the icy glare directed at him.

"What?"

"Did you just accuse me of using you for _sex_?" he asked, his voice deceptively quiet.

Naruto, well familiar with the nuances of Sasuke's voice, realized the Uchiha was probably about to kill him. Or at the very least, maim him.

"Look, that's not what I meant," Naruto said hastily. "I just want to sleep!" He tried to take back his words, and then realized he was fully justified. "You know, now that I think about it, why the hell else would you want me?"

Naruto bit his tongue. He hadn't meant for it to sound like an accusation. He knew Sasuke wasn't that type of guy.

"Take that back, Uzumaki, or I won't be responsible for my actions," he said, voice just barely a whisper.

Naruto forced himself to remain calm. This was Sasuke. He wouldn't really hurt him... much. Would he? "I've known the colder, crueler version of you for years and if I can put up with _him_, I can put up with _you_. Look, Sasuke, all I'm asking is why you're being so nice to me when you know now for a fact that, same soul thing aside, I'm not really your Naruto?"

Sasuke continued to stare at him, eyes narrowing to mere slits as one hand moved faster than Naruto could follow, grabbing his wrists and holding them tightly. "You go a little too far, Uzumaki," he murmured lowly.

Naruto stared up at him and cursed his mouth that wouldn't shut up. Why wouldn't Sasuke just give him a straight answer? "So you're into the kinky stuff with the other me? Sorry, I'm not him."

"You know what I think, Naruto?" Sasuke hissed. "I think _you're_ the one who's disappointed you didn't get to do more before you switched and now you're letting it out on me, because it's convenient for you."

Naruto stared incredulously up into Sasuke's steely eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded. "Sasuke isn't like that--hell, those kisses were amazing enough for him and touching him would be like asking to get my arms broken off." He realized his words were only helping Sasuke's argument and continued hastily, "And I like it that way. You think I appreciated being molested by you because you missed having sex with your _precious_ Naruto?"

"Appreciated?" Sasuke gave a short humorless laugh. "I think you _loved_ it." He leaned in, his breath ghosting Naruto's cheek. The blond closed his eyes, anger surging at both Sasuke for provoking him and himself for enjoying it. As much as his mind tried to tell him otherwise, his eyes saw his Sasuke when he looked at that cool fury, and his body felt his Sasuke's touch in the contact of their skin.

Sasuke's smirk only grew, although the anger didn't lessen. "Why, I believe you get off on Sasuke being rough, Uzumaki," he murmured. "I always knew you were a bottom no matter how much you or your other self would deny it."

Naruto's eyes flew open and he managed to get his legs loose enough to knock Sasuke loose. "You utter asshole!" he hissed.

Sasuke fell back against the bed without a sound, his glare never lessening in its intensity. "Struck a sore spot, have I?"

"No, you bastard, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Naruto shouted. "Look, I'm sorry for accusing you of using me for sex, but forgive me if I fail to find another reason for your acceptance of me, especially now that you've touched and kissed _your_ Naruto again. You've never blindly accepted anything in your life, Sasuke, and I can't believe I didn't question it until now." Naruto shook his head in an aggravated fashion. "I guess I was just too caught up in the confusion and... you actually feeling something beyond friendship for me."

Sasuke gave him an incredulous look. "Are you disappointed that you think I don't feel enough for you?" he asked, confused more than ever now. "Naruto, you're such an idiot. I don't do things I don't want to do--I think about them first, damnit. When have I _ever_ just slept with someone because they were there?"

Naruto ground his teeth, having to concede that point. "But when you found out I wasn't _your_ Naruto, you still...you still did all those...things." Naruto rubbed his face in frustration.

Sasuke made a sound of intense irritation. "Ok, I get it now. You're fucking insecure, aren't you? You need me to reassure you that I really do care about you."

"Sasuke," Naruto began helplessly, not even sure what to say anymore. "I just wanted to sleep!" he moaned into his hands. After a moment, he sighed in almost defeat and looked up at Sasuke. "Since I won't be seeing you after the next few days, and anything I say in this world doesn't matter..." He shook his head. "Look, bastard—_think_. What have I told you about _my_ life?"

Sasuke looked at him, brows furrowed. "I don't see what that has to do with my needing to hold your hand, Naruto."

"I just tend to question affection, ok? And I gave into you so easily because I've been wanting it from _you_ for so damn long that I let myself be distracted by the fact that you're almost just like _my_ Sasuke." Naruto heaved a sigh. "But you're not. And I'm not your Naruto. We care for each other, but it's the heart of the person that we love, the things that we've lived through that have pulled us closer together... and you and I... we just don't have that."

Sasuke continued to stare blankly at him and muttered, sounding curiously sulky, "I know that, idiot."

Naruto made a frustrated snarl deep in his throat. "Then what the _hell_ is your issue?" he demanded. "Why were you still all touchy-feely with me, even when after you knew?"

"Because you're still you!" Sasuke finally shouted, exasperated with Naruto's thick-headedness. "I wasn't even sure yet that all that stuff was true but inside, you're still you, otherwise I really would have felt differently about you." He made a sound of disgust. "All that stuff I just said? That was just to provoke you because I was angry at your accusation, but now I'm seriously tempted to kick your ass!"

Naruto winced and frowned at that. "Well, excuse me for being insecure," he muttered. "Jeez. I rather like having you here and against me and the kisses weren't bad." He closed his eyes and winced at his unintentional confession.

"Weren't bad?" Sasuke asked flatly. He rolled onto his side and blew out a frustrated breath. "Never mind, I know what you mean." After a few more seconds of tense silence, he said, "Look, just take back that ridiculous accusation and we can go to sleep."

Naruto flashed him a distracted glare. "Fine, I'll accept the possibility that you didn't believe I was someone different from _your_ Naruto," he said, refusing to make any more concessions, especially since Sasuke had yet to give him a satisfactory explanation as to why they had continued being intimate after they'd found out he was clearly _not_ this Sasuke's Naruto. "But he acts so different from how I act. He's used to affection and it's like you're watching me to do something that I don't know _how_ to do." He growled in frustration. "I mean, you said that I didn't feel any different or whatever but I acted differently. Why did you still want to kiss me?"

Sasuke sighed. He was doing that a lot lately. "I guess...I don't know. Maybe I wanted to show you that life wasn't always as depressing as you seemed to make it out to be. Or maybe I thought that if I continued to touch you and treat you like my Naruto...you'd become _my_ Naruto."

The blond turned his head to look at Sasuke. "That's bullshit."

"Well, too fucking bad because that's all the explanation you're getting from me."

Naruto made a face and buried his face in the pillow for a moment, biting his tongue at his unthinking remark. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'm trying to deal with something completely new here and it's off-setting me. You're not the one bouncing back and forth, but I shouldn't have gotten angry with you." He was determined to not screw up things for his other self anymore than he already might have.

Sasuke turned his back on the blond. "Good night, Naruto," he said stiffly.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, unburying his head from his pillow, and touched Sasuke's shoulder. "I mean it. I'm sorry. I realize things must be hard for you...seeing me but not seeing who you've known all your life."

Sasuke made a frustrated sound before turning to face him again. "It's ok, Naruto. If we really are going to make things the way they were before then I'd rather not spend these last couple days fighting."

Naruto's face closed off and he got out of bed. "Well, if things are going to be normal then it's normal to fight." He was irritated and tired and wanted to think happy thoughts like training with his father tomorrow. "I'm getting some sleep."

Sasuke reached out and snagged his wrist. "Don't go. I promised we'd only sleep and we'll do that."

Naruto closed his eyes and lay back down, letting his silence communicate his agreement. "Good night," he said softly, turning onto his side away from Sasuke. He felt Sasuke settle into a comfortable position beside him and he sighed.

It was all too confusing. He bit his lip, wondering what he could do to fix it. He hoped that the return of his other self would make things right with Sasuke, or Sasuke being able to hit him with a jutsu would relieve some tension. He moved closer, used to the warmth now that Sasuke provided and not so willing to give it up. "Stick around tomorrow when I train?" he asked softly.

Sasuke, glad that Naruto couldn't see the relief in his smile, brushed his fingers against Naruto's hair and whispered, "Sure."

Both somehow inexplicably calmed, they fell asleep to the gentle cadence of their breathing.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 12**

Naruto shifted nervously on his feet as he waited in the training yard for his father to arrive. They wouldn't have a great deal of time, and there were other matters for the Yondaime to attend to before this, but Naruto was still a little antsy. This was his only chance to train, not just with the legendary Yondaime but with his father.

Sasuke sat with his back to a tree several yards behind where Naruto was standing, tapping his forefinger against his thigh absently. He glanced toward the Hokage tower, squinting as if imagining he could see the blond blur of the Yondaime making his way towards them.

"Hey boys!"

The Yondaime suddenly appeared before Naruto. Sasuke just caught himself from startling. It was unnerving how fast Naruto's father was. Even with Kyuubi's enhanced abilities, he wasn't sure Naruto would be able to keep up.

Naruto's eyes widened in brief shock. "Whoa, Ero-Sennin wasn't lying when he said you were fast." His gaze was nothing but pure admiration. "That's really awesome."

The Yondaime grinned widely at that, puffing up over the praise. Everyone knew how fast he was, and as disturbing as it was to have the observation and compliment come from his son, it was nice to hear.

"Konoha's Yellow Flash is what everyone called him before he became Hokage," Sasuke said, the amusement in his voice carrying over to the two blonds.

The Hokage shrugged, not at all embarrassed by the nickname. "Well then, let's see what you've got."

Naruto nodded and took several steps back, fists clenching and unclenching.

His father's grin had faded and suddenly, the man before him was no longer the cheerful, spirited Hokage, but a very dangerous opponent.

Sasuke didn't know the full extent of the Yondaime's strength but the man was Hokage for a reason and, judging by the demonstration that Naruto had given the other night, the younger man could be almost as dangerous. He positioned himself far enough away where he wouldn't be in the way.

Naruto's own smile faded as he faced his father. "What do you want me to start off with?" he asked calmly. "Or is this an actual spar?"

The Yondaime's blank expression was both inscrutable and daunting. "Come at me with what you think is most effective," he said, wondering what Naruto would do.

Naruto shrugged. "Okay." He formed a seal, muttered his jutsu, and six Naruto's appeared beside him. Chakra flared around all the clones, their eyes glowing red.

Off in the trees, Sasuke activated his sharingan so he could keep track of the real Naruto.

The Yondaime smiled faintly, not quite as caught off guard as he would have thought by the fact that his son could do Kage Bunshin and implement the Kyuubi's chakra in each one of them.

"Not bad," he murmured. "Now what are you going to do with them? Especially since you are down one already." While he was speaking he had already moved and destroyed one of the clones.

Naruto growled at the speed at which his father moved and immediately leapt into action. Three Narutos charged the Yondaime.

The older man crossed his arms to block an aerial attack, rolling his shoulder forward and knocking the clone aside with his elbow, before turning smoothly to fend off the next attack. He dropped to the ground, foot striking out to slam into the stomach of another clone, which disappeared with a soft poof.

Sasuke watched in amazement as a hand reached out of the earth, latched onto the Yondaime's ankle and yanked the older man down.

Naruto was obviously surprised as well--that was the move that Kakashi had pulled on Sasuke when they were first genin. He hadn't thought it was possible that the Yondaime would fall for something like that.

When the log appeared buried in the dirt instead of the Yondaime, Naruto knew it had been too easy.

A blond blur whizzed past another Naruto, metal flashing, and the clone disappeared with another soft poof.

Sasuke smirked as he realized the real Naruto wasn't even fighting. He was hiding somewhere as his remaining clones fought his father.

The Yondaime blurred past another clone, but as this one disappeared with another poof, another Naruto flashed from the other side, a shimmering ball of chakra cupped in his hand.

Sasuke's eyes widened. He was using rasengan on his father?

Naruto took a deep breath and kept the rasengan on the lowest level. Using it against someone he cared about brought back some painful memories, but he pushed them to the back of his mind so they wouldn't distract him.

Besides, he thought reasonably, this was the Yondaime. It wasn't likely Naruto was about to defeat him with his own technique. And, naturally, he was right.

The two blond blurs whirled around each other as the Yondaime sidestepped Naruto, his hand lightly clasping Naruto's wrist in his own chakra so Naruto couldn't pull away, and guided the hand forward toward empty space. His rasengan spiraled forward, blasting into the trunk of a tree and plowing clear through the bark.

Sasuke jumped to a higher branch, scowling down at the both of them. "Try not to destroy the forest," he shouted.

Naruto made a face up at him. "Ah, you're just touchy because I almost took down the tree you're perched in." His smile was almost feral. "Scared, Uchiha?"

"You wish, Uzumaki." And then, sounding much more smug, he said, "I'm not the one about to get my ass kicked."

Naruto ducked, dodging his father's fist and then gasped when something smashed into his back, knocking him forward. He rolled and blinked when he was suddenly being held down by two pairs of arms. He looked up at the two Yondaime's restraining him.

"You seem to think you're the only one who knows Kage Bunshin," one of his father's clones said.

A poof of smoke surrounded Naruto and the Yondaime was left holding a log. Naruto smirked at him from several feet away. "And it's not the only trick I know."

His clone disappeared as the Yondaime narrowed his eyes. Mist curled around his feet and rose into the darkening sky. "Ah," he said softly, "clever, Naruto. I need to see where I'm going in order to use my speed."

He felt chakra pulse behind him and he turned, blocking a punch before Naruto abruptly disappeared back into the mist, which was now so thick he could barely see a foot in front of him.

Naruto snickered and pondered his next move. It wasn't terribly effective anymore to most of the adults in Konoha, and one that he hadn't used in years, but... he whispered his own, modified jutsu and popped up in front of his father.

The Yondaime frowned as the mist began to clear and he blinked at what appeared before him.

Naruto's lips twitched madly as he suppressed the urge to fall over laughing. His father's eyes had widened momentarily before twisting into the most peculiar expression Naruto had ever seen him don. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"NARUTO!" he bellowed. He turned green and abruptly spun on his heel. "You're my son! Change back right now!"

Naruto gave in and fell over, feminine giggles filling the air and horrifying his father further.

Sasuke dropped from his perch and stalked over to Naruto, prepared to smack the idiot upside the head.

"You--what the hell are you doing, Naruto?" he demanded. "This is supposed to be a serious fight." Sasuke shook his head and closed his eyes in disgust.

Naruto made a face and released the jutsu. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?" he asked crossly.

Sasuke crossed his arms as Naruto jumped back to his feet, a last chuckle escaping him when his father sneaked a glance back to make sure his son was a man again. The Yondaime straightened, trying hard to look stern, but failing miserably.

Naruto smirked. "Not bad, eh?" He grinned widely. "Effective, isn't it?"

Sasuke groaned and covered his face with his hand, unable to believe that the idiot had used his sexy no jutsu on his father.

"That was the last thing I expected," the Yondaime said, sounding a little hoarse. The shock of seeing his son as a naked woman was slow to wear off.

Naruto snickered and grinned. "Expect the unexpected!" he said with a grin. "Even Ero-sennin was impressed."

His father rolled his eyes. "I can just imagine."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, excited now that he had gotten the better of his father, even if it was with a rather ridiculous jutsu. "Want me to summon Gamabunta?"

The Yondaime gave him a strained smile. Naruto had mentioned being able to summon the frog boss the other day, but the Yondaime had no desire to see his son prove it if it meant having to face Gamabunta's ire. "Shouldn't you know by now he doesn't like being summoned pointlessly?"

Naruto's shoulders sagged. "Well, yeah, but...oh fine."

The Yondaime crossed his arms over his chest. "How would you like to learn something that I've never taught anyone before?"

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Seriously?!"

The Yondaime smiled tenderly at Naruto, who sounded like he was a boy again. "Yep. It's the technique that got me my nickname."

"This should be interesting," Sasuke said.

"Don't even think about copying it, Uchiha!" Naruto cried petulantly, glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke gave him a flat look. "Copying a technique of the Hokage's level would take more than just my sharingan, moron."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke. "Hmph," he muttered, realizing how childish he sounded. His eyes went back to his father. "You think I can do this?" he asked. "Really?"

His father smiled encouragingly. "If you can master the highest level of rasengan, I have little doubt you could probably pick this up with practice."

Naruto, ignoring Sasuke's presence, returned the smile. If his father believed he could do it, then he could.

The Yondaime ruffled his hair again. "Of course, Naruto. I can't hang around all day so I'll just show you the basics and," he winked, "then I'll leave you to practice it."

Naruto nodded, not at all opposed to the idea of having to master it alone, as he had done all his high-level jutsus.

His father pulled out a peculiar looking kunai, different from the ones Naruto carried in his weapons holster. As his father demonstrated how to begin the technique, Naruto took in everything with interest, eyes that intense shade of blue as he processed the seals that would create a marker or seal of sorts that would be combined with his unique chakra signature.

Naruto tried to do it, practicing under the experienced eye of his father, but something was missing.

After a good hour, the Yondaime stood from where he'd settled himself to observe his son's progress. The younger man had successfully created the marker that would be used in combination with the body flicker technique. Unfortunately, Naruto had never been any good at that particular basic technique. He smiled at Naruto's attempts. "Keep practicing."

"Let me just make sure I'm doing this right again. So," Naruto said, face screwed up in concentration to form his chakra properly. "This marker has my chakra signature on it and the seals I have to perform to make it work...uh...allows me to, in essence, summon myself to its location?"

The Yondaime tilted his head thoughtfully. "That's one way to say it."

Naruto smirked. "Oi, Sasuke! Get over here; I want to see if I can make this work properly." He brushed sweat soaked bangs out of his eyes and unaware of how he looked to Sasuke. "Let me stick something to you so I can get to you faster."

Sasuke gave Naruo a bemused expression. "If you ask nicely, I'll let you stick--"

"Hey! Not while I'm in earshot!" the Yondaime protested loudly.

Sasuke smirked. "I was kidding."

Naruto grinned up at his father. "But you encourage us so nicely," he said innocently, before turning back to Sasuke. "And I'm talking about my chakra marker. It might be easier to hone in on it if it's stuck on something larger than a kunai."

Sasuke gave him a look that made Naruto roll his eyes. "As if I'd let you anywhere near me with uncertain chakra. Look what happened to you because of uncontrolled chakra and a jutsu improperly performed."

Naruto stiffened at that, turning his back on Sasuke and looking back to his father. "Can I just stick it to you?"

The Yondaime laughed. "I wouldn't mind except I have to get going."

Naruto wrinkled his nose and turned to Sasuke again. Before he could open his mouth, Sasuke firmly said, "Forget it."

"Ugh! Help me out here, will you?" He scowled and then tackled Sasuke to the ground, chakra flaring unseen for a moment. "You just don't want me all over you with my father watching."

He got up as Sasuke gave him an outraged look for that remark. The Yondaime had spotted the whole thing and waited to see if Naruto could pull it off.

Sasuke stood, brushing himself off. Naruto smirked as Sasuke failed to sense the lingering chakra on him. It was rather weak, of course, but at least it was something. As Sasuke stalked off, Naruto formed a seal and closed his eyes.

Nothing happened.

Naruto growled and the intense need to be there and knock that stubborn idiot's face into the ground overwhelmed him and he felt something spark along his senses.

He felt a strange pull, a gust of wind and he opened his eyes, disoriented and fearing for half a second that he had switched worlds again. But he was still staring at Sasuke's retreating back. Only... he looked back at his father who was suddenly standing farther away than he had before and was looking at him with eyebrows raised and a small smile.

"Did I...?"

The Yondaime's mouth twitched with the hint of a smile. "Well, you're getting there." He said, eyes brightening. "But the key is to get to the enemy's side, not where you tackled him in the grass."

Naruto didn't care though that he had only moved a few feet. He jumped and pumped his fist into the air, shouting and whooping at his progress.

Sasuke turned to glare at him. "Has your brain finally broken from over-exertion?" he asked, leaning on his left foot and crossing his arms.

Naruto smirked at Sasuke. "Heh! You didn't see me, Sasuke! I got halfway!" He swayed on his feet and then crashed into the ground, fast asleep.

Sasuke blinked, startled by the sudden collapse. He quickly dropped to Naruto's side, nudging him gently.

"Oh, he'll be alright. Just over-exhausting his chakra, I think," the Yondaime said, leaning over the two men. He smiled endearingly down at his son. "Naruto."

Naruto, however, was out cold.

The Yondaime sighed. "Tell him I had to get back, ok?"

Sasuke nodded as he worked his arm under Naruto's neck. "And tell him I'm very impressed with his abilities."

Sasuke's smile softened at that, lifting Naruto into his arms. "I think he'll be glad to hear that." He sounded vaguely amused. "It's like he doesn't get enough of that."

"I don't think he does," the Yondaime said. "And don't forget about patrol duty today." He grinned as Sasuke's expression turned flat with distaste. Then he gave his son a last fond look before turning and disappearing in a blond whirl.

Sasuke lifted Naruto in his arms and gave the dozing man an exasperated look.

"Overworking yourself as usual, idiot," he muttered, not wanting to carry Naruto all the way to the house. He finally settled against one of the trees, his eyes already half-shut. "Just don't do it too often."

Letting Naruto's head fall onto his shoulder, he closed his own eyes. He had slept little the night before, but not for lack of comfort. Having Naruto beside was usually enough to lull him to sleep, but he had continued to mull over their argument and his mind, which had refused to relax, had kept him awake for hours.

Naruto pulled him closer in sleep, face relaxing. "Don't go, Sasuke," he murmured. "...don't want Sasuke to go."

Sasuke turned to look down at him, a rare tender smile curling his lips. He touched Naruto's face. "Don't worry, Naruto. I'm not going anywhere." And it was true. Here or Naruto's real world, he knew that he would always be there. If the other him had returned from being a missing nin for Naruto, which was what Sasuke suspected, then there was little chance he'd be running off again any time soon.

Naruto's face scrunched up at that and he snuggled closer to Sasuke. "Stay," he repeated softly, rubbing his face into Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke stroked his whiskered cheek reassuringly and wrapped his arm tighter around Naruto. "Rest, Naruto. I'll still be here when you wake up."

"You better," Naruto mumbled before letting out a soft snore, indicating he was deep asleep again.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, somewhat amazed that he had fallen for such an idiot. "I will, Naruto," he murmured, even though Naruto couldn't hear him anymore. "I promise."

Sasuke ran his hand absently through Naruto's hair as he closed his eyes and felt completely at ease for the first time that day. He had decided to liken Naruto's switching worlds to merely switching personalities. Even if this Naruto was from a whole different parallel universe, to Sasuke, it simply appeared as if Naruto had dual personalities. And in the end, he still believed that deep inside, Naruto was still Naruto.

With another tired smile, he slumped against Naruto and relaxed into sleep. Patrol could wait at least another hour or so.

***

Naruto was grumbling about being awoken for something that would just put him to sleep again anyway as he and Sasuke walked along the outer wall of the village.

"I can't believe my father gave us patrol duty," Naruto muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Sasuke crossed his arms as they stopped to scan the forest beyond the walls of the city. "It was either this or a list of d-rank missions, remember? I'd rather do this than walk someone's dog."

Naruto snorted. "Or weed someone's garden or haul in fish." He shuddered as he remembered the list of genin missions he'd been given when he was younger. "Although I suppose it's better than being at war," he said softly, eyes trained out to the forest. "Peacetime isn't very exciting, but at least people are safer."

Sasuke nodded in silent agreement. "Let's move on," he said.

They continued on, passing over the west gates and the jounin posted there. It was boring and hard to stay focused at times, but Naruto let his eyes watch while his mind wondered about the jutsu. In only one more day, he wouldn't have a father again, but his other self would have his back. In another day, Sasuke might not want to be close to him, people would hate him again. He swallowed harshly and tried to block the thoughts.

"What's on your mind?" Sasuke asked, catching the fleeting look on Naruto's face.

Naruto shook his head, indicating it was nothing important. Sasuke, of course, knew better and reached out to touch Naruto's arm. They stopped, facing out towards the forest again.

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to beat it out of you?"

Naruto gave Sasuke a look that said, 'I'd like to see you try.'

Sasuke smirked at that. "I suppose dumping the unconscious body of a Konoha ninja would be a rather bad example of how we appreciate our shinobi, so I'll wait until we're off duty."

Naruto snorted. "Like you ever could." He raised an eyebrow at Sasuke before returning his eyes back to the empty forest. A faint smile touched his lips when he saw a group of genin on the outskirts of it, recalling one of the first happy moments in his life. "I was just thinking about how we're going to perform the jutsu." Not quite a lie, but not the entire truth, either.

"I'll practice it after we finish here," Sasuke said. "I won't send you off into a whole different world, Naruto. Or at least, I'll try not to."

Naruto snorted in laughter and bumped his shoulder against Sasuke's. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Will you be ok?"

Naruto angled a curious look at his companion, lifting a pale eyebrow at the concern in Sasuke's dark eyes, although Sasuke wasn't looking at him.

"I'll be fine," he said. "I think you're the one that's going to have to take time to recover. I mean, my other self had to deal with the bastard version of you for almost a week now. I'm sure he's going to try and make up for it." Naruto smirked. "I think you're going to have to bottom for a while."

Sasuke might have laughed if he was of the sort to do such things. Instead he smirked and said, "He'll just need reminding that your Sasuke's type of aggression can be channeled into more productive activities—which I'll, of course, show him."

Naruto, who _was_ of the sort, pushed Sasuke playfully and burst out laughing. "I should try saying that to Sasuke. See how he takes it."

"I think the other you tried it already and Sasuke nearly put him through a wall 'cause he didn't know what was going on."

Naruto's eyes were bright with laughter. "A flustered Sasuke isn't a happy Sasuke. A Sasuke being touched is even less happy." His smile never faltered, and only because Sasuke knew Naruto so well was he able to distinguish the change in mood. "I'll have to see if that changes after I get back."

"You kissed and that was something you never thought would happen so give him... _me_...a little more credit, hm?" Sasuke said, gaze briefly flickering from the trees to Naruto.

Naruto shrugged. "It'll take some time, I think, but I have hopes that things will be ok." His wide grin faded into a small but genuine one. Sasuke had said he wouldn't hesitate anymore—deliberate and act.

He wasn't sure if Sasuke would still want him, but if he did, Naruto knew that he wouldn't have to wait long to find out. At the very least, Sasuke would still be his friend. He would always be there for Naruto.

"Hey, what do you think of the idea of me becoming Hokage?" he asked, changing the subject.

"You seriously want my opinion?" Sasuke asked, amused. Naruto had always made boasts about becoming Hokage one day but he'd never asked anyone's thoughts on it other than his father. Knowing Sasuke's tendency to provoke Naruto into anger, it surprised him now that Naruto would ask.

But, he thought reluctantly, Naruto really did look rather earnest so he considered setting aside the snide remarks for an honest answer.

Naruto frowned at him, gaze flicking towards him for a brief moment. "Yeah, I do," he said shortly, "If you're not inclined to give it, don't strain yourself." His mouth was drawn into an unhappy, tense line.

"Naruto, I think you need to stop boasting about how strong you are," Sasuke said flatly. Naruto looked like he was about to argue, but he cut Naruto off. "I'm not saying that because you aren't strong. I say it because you are and you don't need to keep shouting it into people's faces. That just annoys them and reminds them of the brat you used to be. If you stopped trying to announce it to the world then the villagers might actually stop long enough to realize that you've grown up."

Naruto opened his mouth, thought better of it, and smiled. "I actually don't do that as much as you think I do." His gaze was far away as he laced his hands together and leaned on the wall. "What else?" he asked softly. "Don't just look at who my father is. That won't matter when I go back. I want to protect everyone, Sasuke. That's the most important thing about becoming the Hokage. Realizing that everyone in the village is equally important and all looking to you."

"But you can't force them to look at you. Just keep doing what you need to do and those who are ready will see who you've become."

Naruto gave him a sidelong glance and said, "I never knew you were so full of wisdom, Sasuke." His lips twitched.

Sasuke gave him an exasperated look. "You _asked_ my opinion, idiot. If you aren't going to take me seriously, then--"

"Okay, okay, sorry. Go on."

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "Idiot," he muttered again, running a hand through his hair, making the spiky locks a little more mussed. "What did I tell you at the start? You're supposed to be subtle, not obvious. I'm sure the people that know you are aware of your dream."

"Of course they are. I told everyone who would listen when I was younger," Naruto said with a small smile.

"Yes, but they'll actually believe it," Sasuke clarified.

"Do you believe it?" Naruto asked quietly.

Sasuke paused, weighing his words carefully. "Let's just say...if you become Hokage someday, as a shinobi of Konoha, I'll be the first to pledge my loyalty to you."

Naruto turned to him and Sasuke pointedly ignored those wide blue eyes.

Naruto swallowed and reined in his emotions, keeping his face impassive, but there was a small smile on his lips as he looked out to the surrounding area again. "When I do become Hokage, I want your face to be the first one I see in the crowd of anbu."

Sasuke's silence was enough acknowledgment and Naruto sighed, content.

"You think it'll be long before they promote me?" Sasuke asked after a long silence.

"I like to think we'll both become anbu together," he said, still smiling.

"I've always wondered why their vests are white. It might be a higher rank but green is more practical," Sasuke said thoughtfully.

Naruto gave him a funny look. "Are you _trying_ to sound gay?"

Sasuke sent him an exasperated glare. "I _meant_ that white is such a conspicuous color. Idiot."

"It's so you know that you've completed the mission," Naruto said, deadpan. "Red on white, you know?" He sighed and shook his head. "Idiot. And you think that robes are any more practical for a Hokage? They'd get in the way and what have you. It's just a symbol of rank. A sign that you've aspired to something higher."

Sasuke didn't reply, merely sending Naruto a glare to let him know what he thought of the little explanation.

"Besides, even if it is conspicuous, an anbu will be able to remain hidden regardless."

"Abilities are enough to determine rank," Sasuke finally said, apparently still stuck on Naruto's previous comments.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to get into an argument with you over the clothes we wear, Sasuke."

"Considering you had no taste at all as a genin, I hardly think your opinion on clothing is a good one to go by," Sasuke said, eyes vaguely amused.

"But my father wore orange when he was a kid, too!" Naruto protested, expression indignant. "There's nothing wrong with it."

Sasuke stared at him in bewilderment for a moment. "How did you know that, Naruto?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 13**

"How did you know that, Naruto?"

Naruto blinked, confusion clouding his eyes as his jaw worked, searching for an answer he didn't have. "I...I don't know," he finally said. His eyes widened in alarm as he failed to come up with a plausible explanation. "My father didn't mention it at some point, did he?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. He's never spoken about his childhood since the switching thing has come up."

Naruto bit his lip and forced a smile on his face. "Must have been Ero-sennin or something," he said, hands fisting at his sides. But that didn't sound right either, and he shook his head.

"Maybe you should ask your father about it later," Sasuke suggested, turning away from the forest so they could continue their patrol.

"Yeah," Naruto murmured, resisting the urge to close his eyes and wrack his memory for where that little detail about his father's childhood had come from. The uncertainty stayed at the edge of his mind all afternoon.

The Yondaime wasn't home yet when they got off patrol, but Naruto was too keyed up to really sit still. He went immediately to the cupboard to get some ramen to make, but stopped when Sasuke gave him another strange look.

"Naruto?" he asked uncertainly. "Which one are you? This is the first time you've opened a cupboard correctly and I know that only you and your father really know where that ramen is kept. You call it your 'emergency' stash."

Naruto looked back to the cupboard and then to Sasuke. "It's still me; I haven't switched. I'm sure I saw my father get it from here at some point."

Sasuke looked unconvinced but didn't pursue it further. He did, however, continue to watch Naruto closely as Naruto made his ramen.

Naruto ignored him, his mind returning again to how he could have possibly known his father had had an affinity for orange as a child. He reasoned for logic--if he liked orange, didn't it stand that his father had to like orange, too? But he was _certain_ of it, that his father liked orange. He couldn't shake that certainty.

"A lucky guess?" he mused out loud.

"What are you babbling about?" Sasuke asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Naruto looked up at him from stirring his ramen. "I was thinking about earlier--how I knew my father wore orange as a kid. I mean, if I like ramen like how he likes ramen, then it'd stand to reason that my father liked orange as a kid too. I mean, look at his cloak. It has flames on it! That's hardly practical, is it?"

Sasuke stared at him for a few moments, dumb shock on his face before snorting. "Now I know you're back to normal. You worshipped that coat and always got caught sneaking around the house in it. And you took it to bed with you every night."

Naruto jumped up, protest written all over his face. "That was only _once_, Uchiha!"

Sasuke immediately straightened. "Naruto?" he asked uncertainly.

"No, I still haven't switched," Naruto groaned, realizing again what he'd just said.

"How did you know that then?" Sasuke demanded. "I know _I've_ never mentioned it and you couldn't have heard it from anyone other than your father. He told me about it when you pretended to make fun of his cloak once. Do you remember _that_?"

Naruto bit his lip, looking a little lost and uncertain. "I... I don't know," he said honestly, blue eyes looking up at Sasuke in confusion. "I can't remember, but it feels like I _should_ remember. Or..." his brow furrowed. "This is weird. Why would I know things that _I_ don't know, but what my other self would know?"

"Naruto, this can't be good," Sasuke said, moving to stand in front of Naruto and pushing Naruto's untouched bowl of ramen aside. "You haven't shown _any_ signs of knowing anything about the other Naruto before now; you can't just suddenly remember things you're not supposed to."

"I know that," Naruto snapped, pulling his ramen back and taking a huge bite so he wouldn't have to give Sasuke an explanation that he didn't have.

He also couldn't tell Sasuke that he suddenly didn't feel as out of place anymore--that he felt comfortable here, that the shapes and dimensions of the room were familiar to him now. He could walk anywhere in the house and not get lost; he wanted to joke and tease his father, to go over scrolls with him. To not leave, because this was what felt right.

And yet he knew, he _knew_ that it wasn't. Less than a day ago he had walked down the street with Sasuke, had kissed him, had felt for the first time that things between them might be more than he'd come to expect. But now, as he looked up to meet Sasuke's bewildered gaze, he felt as though he and Sasuke had been together for years and it wouldn't be out of place to simply lean over and press his mouth to Sasuke's, something that he'd done a hundred times before...and yet, had never done before. He swallowed hard.

He wrapped his arms around himself to prevent reaching out to Sasuke, but then wondered why he was restraining himself from the man. Sasuke was there to make sure he wasn't going crazy. He leaned against Sasuke, eyes half shut.

"I'm confused," he muttered.

"It's ok," Sasuke said quietly, not at all certain what was happening. "We'll talk to your father about it once he gets home."

Luckily they didn't have to wait long. A moment later, the front door opened and the Yondaime appeared, smiling broadly at the boys gathered around the kitchen counter. "What's up?"

Naruto looked up at his father. "I think I really am going crazy this time," he said, a little shakily.

Sasuke clarified Naruto's words. "He's still his other self, but he remembers _this_ world."

The Yondaime gave them a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"I'm remembering things I shouldn't know," Naruto said, dragging his hand through his tousled hair. "Things only your Naruto would know. What's happening to me?"

The Yondaime, hearing the rising panic in his son's voice, moved quickly to Naruto's side and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Naruto instantly relaxed--something that he hadn't done before. The last time the Yondaime had tried to comfort Naruto, Naruto had at first tensed at the feel of his hand. "Did you really like the color orange as a kid?" he asked quietly. "Or try to dye Ero-sennin's hair that color?"

The Yondaime blinked, taken aback. "You're still...I mean, you haven't switched?"

Naruto shook his head before dropping it into his hands, his father's reaction having answered his questions. "You were a troublesome kid," he muttered into his palms.

"Naruto," his father said, ignoring the remark, "this isn't good."

Naruto gave him a look at that, shaking his head in mild amusement. "Well, I think we figured that one out. The thing is, what are we going to do about it?" He stood up, pacing back and forth. "Somehow... somehow I'm remembering things and it's just... " His expression was pained. "This life is starting to feel normal to me, Dad."

Sasuke sucked in his breath harshly at that one. That was one thing this Naruto had _never_ done. "Shit," he muttered.

The Yondaime straightened. "Let me look at your seal again," he said kneeling in front of Naruto, who had stopped pacing. Naruto grit his teeth and lifted up his shirt to expose the seal now appearing on his otherwise unmarked skin.

His father pressed his fingers against it tentatively, reaching out to the fox within. A moment later, he frowned darkly and stood up again.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, not at all eased by the look in his father's eyes.

"Can't you feel it? Kyuubi is restless; it knows something is wrong," he said grimly.

"The stupid fox is always restless when you poke at him." Naruto said in confusion. "That's hardly anything new." He pushed his shirt back down and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are we going to do about this? We already planned on how we're going to fix things."

"That's not it, Naruto," his father snapped. "Try to access its chakra."

Naruto raised a dubious eyebrow, not sure where his father was going with this but obeying nonetheless. He drew into himself...and for the first time in years, Kyuubi fought back. It was useless, of course, because of how integrated their chakra had become but Kyuubi hadn't tried to deny him its chakra since before Sasuke had left Konoha. As Kyuubi's chakra finally flared around him, he sighed, realizing the fox did sense something was off.

He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have doubted you."

Sasuke was becoming more alarmed as the events unfolded. Naruto's speech patterns, the way he reacted to his father's words, it was like _his_ Naruto even though this _wasn't_ his Naruto.

"Kyuubi tried to deny me access, which it can't because our chakras are practically fused, but it's definitely telling me something's wrong," Naruto said, confused by what it could all mean.

"Fused?" Sasuke echoed, before his eyes widened as something dawned on him. He realized the Yondaime had just realized the same thing because the older man mirrored his expression.

"What?" Naruto asked, unaware of what he'd just said.

Sasuke looked at Naruto carefully, hands cupping his face as if he was trying to see the problem within his eyes. "Naruto, you and your other self are the same soul, right?" At Naruto's hesitant nod, he went on. "I think you two might be fusing together. You and Kyuubi share the same space, and in a way, you and your other self share a similar connection. You're combining, Naruto."

He watched Naruto's blue eyes jump in alarm. "But how can that be? We're in two different places!"

"I think," his father added, "it's like you're becoming mirrors, or doubles, of each other--identical in all ways."

"Identical? But we're different. I'm not him," Naruto insisted. _I have my own past_, he thought. No matter how painful or how much he might have wished this was how his life had turned out, he didn't want to forget what it felt like to be alone, to be hated. The pain he'd gone through growing up, losing and finding Sasuke again...they defined him, they made him who he was.

Sasuke looked up at the Yondaime, one hand absently resting on Naruto's shoulder. "What can we do about this?" he asked quietly. "They may be the same soul, but they are two different people." He groaned and rubbed his temples. "As if this wasn't weird enough."

"There's no helping it. We have to perform the jutsu sooner. We can't wait another day. This just started happening now?" the Yondaime asked.

"Earlier, when we were on patrol," Sasuke said.

The Yondaime nodded. "It's strange how sudden this is, but it's happening quickly. We'll have to move the scheduled time to tomorrow at noon rather than the day after. I'm sorry, Naruto."

Naruto nodded slowly in understanding, but it felt like his heart was lodged in his chest somewhere. "I... " He took a deep breath. "How are we going to let the others know of the change?" he asked.

This time, there was no dizziness as the switch occurred.

"What change?" Sasuke asked, peering carefully into his eyes. "Naruto?"

"Sasuke!" Naruto said, stepping back, surprised by how smooth the transition had been. If they were fusing, then this was only further evidence.

"Naruto? Oh, you switched again," Sasuke said as he leaned back against the counter in his kitchen. "So, what change are you talking about?" He waited with brows just barely narrowed, hinting that something was on his mind.

Naruto tried to dispel the feeling that this world was the one that felt slightly off center now. "Has the other me been acting more like ... me?" he asked bluntly. He didn't know how much time they had, if it was going to switch again or what was going to happen the next time they switched.

Sasuke blinked at that, eyes narrowing. "So it's been happening with you, too?" he asked. "I thought something was wrong when the other you called me a bastard and said that the kiss when we were twelve was only a fluke."

Naruto smiled wryly. "Yeah, that _is_ something I'd say."

"So, what's happening?" Sasuke asked, knowing it couldn't be good news.

"My father thinks we're fusing--the other Naruto and I--that we're becoming complete doubles of each other," he said quietly, irrationally afraid that if he spoke it any louder, it'd happen faster and he wouldn't know himself anymore.

Sasuke blinked at him in confusion, before he tilted his head in thought. "Technically, you are the same person. If you fused all the way and you still switched back, what would be the difference?" He grimaced. "Or would we even know the difference?"

"I don't think we'd know the difference, but the _point_," Naruto said, louder this time to press said point, "is that I wouldn't be me anymore. I'd be a... I don't even know what I'd become, but we have to fix things before I don't know where I belong anymore."

Sasuke heard the urgency in Naruto's voice and nodded. "So, what have you and your father come up with?"

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, pacing again. "Father and I," he didn't notice Sasuke's surprised look and slight flinch at the words, "decided that we need to move up the date of the jutsu. To do it as soon as possible, before this stretches out any longer, before even I don't know which Naruto _I_ am anymore."

"So you want to do it now?" Sasuke asked, trying to follow Naruto's chaotic thoughts.

"No, tomorrow at noon instead of the day after. The other Sasuke hasn't had the chance to practice the jutsu yet."

Sasuke nodded. "I'll let Hokage-sama know."

Naruto wandered into the sitting room and sank into the couch, staring blankly at the bare stretch of wall across from him. "I'm losing who I am, Sasuke," he whispered. "Kyuubi realizes it, too." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Would you still like me if I wasn't me anymore?" he asked softly.

"I don't particularly like the _other_ you so I'm not sure if I should answer that," Sasuke said, settling into the sofa beside him.

Naruto turned to frown at him. "I'm being serious, you know."

"So am I. Naruto," he said with an impatient look. "I realize that what's happening is serious, but we'll fix this."

"I just..." Naruto had to fight the urge to lean against Sasuke, mentally reminding himself that this Sasuke just wasn't like that and the move would only be rewarded with a trademark Sasuke look of 'what the hell do you think you're doing?' "I hate this," he muttered.

"Well then, take your mind off of it for a while. I was a little surprised that it wasn't you who came out of the shower last night," Sasuke said, trying for a light tone to help ease Naruto out of his dismal thoughts.

"Did he spend the night?" Naruto asked, remembering the unexpected fight that had sprung up between himself and the other Sasuke the night before.

"On the sofa, yes."

Naruto smiled.

Sasuke saw the look and shrugged. "What, did you think we were going to get all cozy because you wandered into the room without any clothes on?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "He didn't."

"Yeah, he did. He must have known he'd switched already, but tried it anyway."

Naruto winced, feeling a tiny surge of anger at his counterpart for...for what? Trying to seduce Sasuke? He was guilty of much more than that with the other Sasuke. And yet, the guilt wasn't nearly as pressing as it had been a day ago. In fact, he felt almost justified seeing as he and Sasuke had been together for years. When Naruto realized what he was thinking, he grew rigid and clenched his jaw in frustration.

He half reached out to Sasuke and then shook his head, standing up and putting distance between them. "I... I need to think or something," he said quickly, trying to calm himself down. "This is... I mean... I want to see.." _I want to see my father_, he thought absently, then cursed out loud at the thought. He looked up at Sasuke. "Is he in his office?"

Sasuke stepped over to him and gripped his shoulders. "Naruto, think!" he said fiercely.

Naruto bit his tongue when he realized what he'd just said. "Sorry," he groaned, feeling helpless. "I can't even think straight anymore." And then, unable to help himself, he leaned forward and pressed his face into Sasuke's neck.

He felt the other man stiffen, his fingers digging painfully into Naruto's shoulders. Naruto immediately jerked away, an apology springing to his lips before whirling around and leaning against the wall, banging his head in hopes of making things right again.

"This really sucks," he muttered. He wasn't sure why Sasuke was pushing him away, except of course he knew that he should be. "Are you mad at me?" he asked, not facing Sasuke.

"I'm not mad at you," Sasuke replied stiffly, thinking Naruto was only embarrassed by the gesture. "I was just caught off guard."

Naruto sank his teeth into his lip, welcoming the pain that seemed to temporarily clear his mind. "Damn it," he hissed, pushing away from the wall and past Sasuke.

Sasuke gripped his arm and whirled Naruto around to face him. "Didn't I tell you that I wanted to kiss you before?" he demanded. "That I didn't mind?" He took a deep breath. "I don't want to lose the Naruto I know for one that I don't know."

"And I don't want to lose myself!" Naruto shouted, pulling free of Sasuke's grasp. "You shouldn't touch me; I might do something you won't like."

Sasuke gave him a flat look. "You can't hurt me, Naruto."

"That's not what I mean. I keep looking at you and thinking about a past we _don't_ have, a past the other pair of us have and it's confusing me."

Sasuke stared at him for a few moments, the frown deepening. "What about the past we have now?" he asked carefully. "What do you remember about that?"

Naruto stared at him for a few moments, afraid that he'd open his mouth and say the wrong thing.

He shook his head. "I don't think I can sort it all out right now," he said, turning away.

"You can and you will," Sasuke said, grabbing Naruto by his shirt and dragging him back to the sofa.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted irritably as Sasuke dropped him into the cushions.

"Talk. Maybe it'll help ground you again, remind you which world you belong to." Sasuke crossed his arms expectantly.

Naruto made a face and swatted Sasuke's hand away, trying to get up again. "You moron, what if I say the wrong thing? What if I say that my father's is the correct world and that our first kiss _wasn't_ in the classroom, but behind the training posts?" Naruto clapped a hand over his mouth, groaning. He could _see_ that, know that it was right, but it _wasn't_ right.

Sasuke's frown deepened. "Are these memories overriding your old ones?"

Naruto flopped onto his side and turned his face into his arm. "Not actually overriding as much as they're...pushing the others aside to give themselves room."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Well, _that_ clears it up."

Naruto lifted his head just enough to give Sasuke an annoyed look. "The old memories are still there, the new ones are just taking precedence right now because they keep popping up out of nowhere." Naruto turned his face away. "Not that it should matter to you where our first kiss was or not," he muttered under his breath. He looked around the apartment, momentarily offset. "Sasuke, when did you get this apartment?" It scared him that he couldn't sort through his own thoughts to find the memory he needed.

"Years ago, Naruto. Right after I was released from house arrest."

Naruto swallowed and nodded vaguely. "Right," he said and he remembered now, but he couldn't help searching for the memory behind a haze of images filled with him and Sasuke moving things into his apartment, making little progress because of constantly groping each other.

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair, unsure of how to deal with the situation, except for what he suggested before. "Start talking, and I'll correct you if you're wrong."

"Tsunade-bachan is Hokage here," he said softly. "My father is..." he felt his throat close and a tightening in his chest.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and said, "Talk about something else."

Naruto took a deep shuddering breath, pushing away thoughts of his father's death that didn't correlate with thoughts of his father laughing and holding his hand the day he joined the ninja academy.

He took another deep breath before continuing. "Kakashi was our team leader for our genin team," he said carefully, slowly. "You and Sakura were my team members, but neither one of you wanted to be." That mostly rang true, except for the part of Sakura ogling him as much as Sasuke.

"I...I tied you up and pretended to be you so I could find out what Sakura thought about me," he said, smiling in both fondness and relief that he'd gotten the memory right...or had he? His smile faded as his brows furrowed in confusion. "Wait."

"No, you've got it right, keep going."

Naruto blinked at him. "But why would I pretend to be you for something like that? Sakura wouldn't leave you or me alone. Always following ..." His brow furrowed in confusion. "You always used to wonder how she kept her mind on studies with the time she spent staring at us."

"Sakura couldn't stand you, Naruto," Sasuke cut in, sounding a tad sharper than was necessary. "You're getting confused again." Sasuke flicked a lock of dark hair out of his eye before settling heavily beside Naruto on the sofa.

"What do you think will happen after we fix things?" It was on the tip of Naruto's tongue to say '_if_ we fix things' but being optimistic had always been one of his better points.

"Then things go back to normal and you'll at least have the memory of knowing who your family is." Sasuke paused. "And confronting those that kept it from you all this time." He clearly wasn't happy to have learned so late himself the importance of who Naruto's father was.

"But what if it _doesn't_ fix things? What if I stay this way?" Naruto turned to face his friend, hands twisting agitatedly in his lap.

Sasuke watched Naruto fidget before releasing an exasperated breath of air and grasping Naruto's hand, stilling the nervous movement. Naruto stared down at their hands touching and smiled faintly.

"This feels right, at least."

Sasuke gave a snort at the way Naruto was acting. "You're not going to lose who you are," he said firmly. "If anything, you've gained a bit more. How much more confident are you now, how much more _stable_ are you now that you've had that visit with your family?" He couldn't quite keep the bitter tone out of his voice at that. "You're _not_ going to lose yourself," he said again. "I won't let it happen."

Naruto closed his hand around Sasuke's fingers and squeezed lightly. "I know, Sasuke." Naruto bit his lip and scooted closer to Sasuke on the couch. One look from Sasuke, however, and Naruto stilled.

"I'm not going to hold your hand through this, Naruto," Sasuke said, before rolling his eyes at Naruto's pointed look at their hands. "You know what I mean."

He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself, to focus on what his childhood had been like, consciously dredging up the memories that he'd blocked to save himself from pain--that overwhelming loneliness, the sense of not-being-wanted, always hated, not needed. He stood up, pulling away from Sasuke, and closed his eyes as he recalled it, fought against any happier 'memories' that weren't his.

_I'm going to need therapy after this_, he thought, half amused at his tactics. _It's not healthy to beat yourself up like this._

"What are you doing?"

Naruto opened his eyes just long enough to give Sasuke an irritated look. "Concentrating on sorting out my memories."

"What's so difficult? All the memories with your father in it are the wrong ones."

Naruto spun on his heel to glare at his friend. "Can you try being a little less of a...?"

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow as Naruto tossed around for a word that didn't include 'asshole' or 'bastard'.

"What I remember--" His words were clipped. "--was that I was told I was an abandoned child, that my parents didn't want me because I was a monster. The whole village delighted in telling me that, and the other children were too young to question it."

Sasuke leaned back into the sofa and crossed his arms. "Cry about it, why don't you," he muttered.

"What was that?" Naruto snapped, eyes flashing. He had heard just fine, of course.

Sasuke returned his glare with a neutral look and didn't reply.

Naruto gnashed his teeth together. "I remember perfectly now what a total and complete _jackass_ you are!" And with that, Naruto let go of his restraints and leaped onto the sofa and a slightly surprised Sasuke.

Sasuke reacted immediately, twisting and pinning Naruto beneath him. "Too slow as usual, dead last." He gave Naruto a self-satisfied smirk and barely avoided a punch to the face and a kick to the ribs.

"Bastard!" Naruto hissed. "Always thinking you were better than me, always had to be the best one, always had to look down on me because of who I was!" He didn't know if it was his mixed up memories that caused the irrational and highly untrue statement or not.

Sasuke looked amused despite that Naruto was now sporting rather sharp claws and appearing to genuinely try and swipe at his throat. He gave Naruto the benefit of the doubt, however, seeing as he was currently confused and frustrated with his web of memories.

"And what is that?" Sasuke said, replying to Naruto's last accusation. "A clumsy dead last?"

"You couldn't fucking handle being surpassed by me so you ran off to that snake-bastard Orochimaru," Naruto hissed, calling up his worst memories and knowing, because of the pain searing his chest, that they were his.

Sasuke's eyes widened for the barest instant, before narrowing at Naruto. "No, I just couldn't stand to see your face anymore. Being surpassed by someone who could only copy attacks taught by a pervert teacher," he said with disdain as he stood up and out of Naruto's way. "Dead last."

Naruto's eyes widened, incredulous. "Copy attacks taught by a pervert teacher? You can't seriously mean Ero-sennin. What about learning your Chidori from Kakashi?"

Sasuke snorted. "I learned it a long time before you learned rasengan."

"Do you hear yourself? Sorry, Sasuke, but the world does not cater to you and your damn superiority complex," Naruto snarled, launching himself at Sasuke the moment he began to turn away.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Sasuke stumbled to the floor, swearing--or trying to--when he realized Naruto had one hell of a grip on his neck.

"Don't _ever_ walk away from me, Uchiha," Naruto growled into his ear.

"Is that you or your other memories talking, Uzumaki?" Sasuke growled out. "You're not fighting me seriously. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted me to beat you." A vicious smile. "To prove to you that I'm better. No matter who you are or were or could be."

"God damn you," Naruto hissed. He stared down into Sasuke's infuriatingly calm face, his cruel words still ringing in his ears and wondered, not for the first time, why he loved him. Sasuke had to be the least loveable person in the world.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was wondering how far he should push Naruto before Naruto seriously tried to kill him.

Therefore, he was shocked when Naruto slumped against him, the fight seemingly gone out of him.

"I hate you," he whispered. "But I don't. You're such a bastard, but you're the only one who listens to me, who's always thought of me as human, regardless of Kyuubi." His eyes closed and he ignored the way Sasuke was completely tense beneath him. "Why do you have to be such an ass, Sasuke, huh?" he muttered, thumping one fist half-heartedly against Sasuke's chest. After a moment, Naruto pulled away, giving a resigned sigh. "Look, just go and do whatever you were doing before. I'm going back home."

Sasuke pushed up off the floor, watching Naruto warily as Naruto slipped his shoes on by the door.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, not really inclined to say anything at all except that he couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of his head--and an area in his chest that he didn't want to think about--that he should call Naruto back to him. If he wanted to have an inner monologue, which he didn't, then he would probably grudgingly tell himself that Naruto's present state was partly his fault.

"I'll be fine without your help," Naruto said softly, eyes turned away. "Remember, I've done this by myself all my life. I don't need anyone to hold out a hand now." He shut the door firmly as he walked out, but he didn't go very far before he rested against the wall of the apartment and sighed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 14**

Naruto looked down the street and for the briefest of moments, was completely thrown off. One way led to his apartment, the other led to his father's house.

"Fuck," he muttered, rubbing his face.

_Why did Sasuke have to be so damn difficult?_ he thought, pressing his palms into his temples, attacking a headache that wasn't really there. Pushing off the wall, he looked back at the house, half hoping for Sasuke to run out after him, the other half hoping the bastard would leave him the hell alone.

He wondered vaguely what he would find if he went to where his father's house was. Part of him was expecting the Yondaime to be there, while the other part of him discounted it as being completely irrational thinking. Still, curiosity got the better of him and he set off towards his house.

He looked up at the dark sky as he walked, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He turned a few streets and his father's house came into view. Smiling when he saw that there were lights on inside, he quickened his pace. He was right outside the door, digging in his pockets for a key he didn't have when he realized he had lost himself again. His smile fell from his face and he stumbled off the doorstep, shaking his head in a daze.

"What are you doing here?"

Naruto turned at the softly spoken voice and turned to yell at Sasuke, but it wasn't him.

"Ka...Kakashi-sensei." Naruto's eyes widened with surprised. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"It's a nice night, isn't it?" Kakashi asked rather than answering Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, tone laced with a warning that he knew didn't intimidate his former teacher in the least.

"I'll answer you if you answer me," he replied. In the dark, it was hard to make out the man's expression as his only visible eye was cast in shadow.

"Alright fine. Yes, it's a lovely night," Naruto said, grinning cheekily even though it was mostly show.

Kakashi's mask curved as if he was smiling. "Wrong question, Naruto."

Naruto thrust his hands in his pockets and looked back toward the house, swallowing a lump in his throat. He forced himself to walk away, telling himself that his father wasn't there, that the Yondaime had died a long time ago.

"I was going for a walk." Naruto said finally, his feet kicking at the dusty road as he walked. Kakashi fell into step beside him. "I wanted to see this part of town." Not the whole truth, but not quite a lie, either.

"Mmm," Kakashi said, and Naruto wasn't quite sure what that meant. "I did too."

Naruto turned to him with a frown. Kakashi shrugged.

"If you're going to lie to me, I'm going to lie to you," he said softly.

Naruto sighed, unable to help the small smile that tugged at his lips. The man could still read Naruto, even years after their team had fallen apart. Kakashi had never taken on another team, and Naruto had been so busy with his own missions that he didn't spend the same amount of time with the man as he did as a genin. Naruto rarely saw Kakashi these days, save for the occasional mission assigned together.

"I don't know how much you know," Naruto finally said into the silence. "But I came here, because my... because--" He took a deep breath and didn't try to force the words out, but instead asked another question of his own, which indirectly answered Kakashi's earlier question. "Why didn't you tell me he was my father?"

Kakashi, for his part, didn't look at all surprised. "I couldn't," he said simply. "We were forbidden to speak of it to the children and that included you."

"Oh, come on, Kakashi-sensei, you don't expect me to believe that, do you?" Naruto asked, shoving his hands back into his pockets, a little angrily.

"Well, it was true. But you, specifically, we were not to tell," he admitted, voice quiet.

Naruto whirled on him, eyes bright and angry. "Why?" he demanded. "Why? When Ero-sennin was teaching me the jutsu, when you were my father's _student_ and friend and..." Naruto took a deep breath. "Why was no one supposed to tell me? Was I just supposed to live in ignorance while everyone laughed at me and talked behind my back? About how they had to pity my father because he kept a monster around?" The memories of the other him were getting confused with his own again.

Kakashi gave him a curious look. "Naruto, are you yourself?" he asked.

Naruto sighed. "How did you find out anyway?" he asked, dropping his voice again.

"I heard you and Sasuke shouting down the street the other day. You were talking about your father as if he was still alive. I was curious so I went to talk to the Hokage about it."

In other words, Naruto thought, knowing his former teacher was too sharp for his own good, Kakashi had spied on them and figured out what was happening before confirming it with the Hokage.

Naruto sighed. "I'm myself but I think the other memories are getting fused with my own. Sort of like how kyuubi and are I getting fused together." He ran a hand through his hair, agitated. "Only the effects are worse. I can't remember if the things I remember are my memories, or the memories from the other me." He turned to look at Kakashi as they walked. "You never answered my first question."

Kakashi looked up, appearing contemplative. Naruto watched him carefully, something warm and constricting clutching at his chest. It occurred to Naruto then that Kakashi had probably seen him walking alone, towards the house that was once the Yondaime's, and wondered if Naruto was currently the other Naruto. And, likely against Kakashi's better judgment, he had sought out Naruto for...whatever reasons he'd had.

Naruto had never known his father until now, but Kakashi had been his student. Kakashi didn't speak about what had happened in his past, as if having reconciled long ago his pain at losing everyone who had ever meant anything to him. But, Naruto thought as he watched Kakashi's masked face, maybe the man wasn't as placid about his memories as he appeared to be.

"Why were you forbidden to tell me the truth about my father?" Naruto asked before Kakashi could say anything. Kakashi turned that single visible eye to him, looking mildly interested at the understanding in Naruto's blue gaze that was so very like another's.

"It wasn't my place, Naruto," he finally said. He shook his head and put up a hand for silence when Naruto made to argue, but didn't say anymore himself.

Naruto huffed irritably, knowing it was pointless to try and argue further. Kakashi was dead-stubborn and was infuriatingly good at ignoring whatever or whoever was pestering him. He rounded another corner, and his own apartment appeared several buildings down.

He ground his teeth and tried one last time. "Then whose place was it?" Naruto asked quietly, wishing he could hide his hurt as convincingly as Kakashi could. "No one else was likely to tell me."

Kakashi-sensei was one of the few people, the few adults in the village that didn't hate him on sight, didn't treat him any different because of the kyuubi, who was actually concerned about him. And his teacher had been the Yondaime. If anything...

"The Hokage, Naruto. If Sandaime had wanted to tell you, he would have done so. It isn't my place to question his motives." Kakashi fixed Naruto with an even look. "You should know that. He was still your Hokage and everything he did had a purpose to it."

Naruto shuffled his feet as he came to a stop at the base of the metal staircase that led up to his apartment. If it wasn't for his respect of the old man, he would have cursed and called the Sandaime a name he was sure even Kakashi had never come across in his dirty novels.

"Well, he didn't feel the need, then," Naruto said shortly. "Maybe he wanted someone else to do it." He walked midway up the stairs, before turning to look at Kakashi. Naruto's expression was once again understanding, despite the hurt evident in his eyes. "I'm sorry," was all he said before he went the rest of the way to his apartment. He knew that Kakashi would know what he was apologizing for—his earlier anger at the man, the Yondaime no longer being there, everything the Kyuubi had taken from Konoha.

The only indication of Kakashi's surprise was the slow blink of his eye. "It's not your fault, Naruto."

Naruto shrugged, feeling the last of his anger drain away to be replaced by a weariness so profound that for the first time in his life, he wanted to just lie down and never get up again. Swallowing harshly, he shook his head to clear it of such abysmal thoughts, although the weariness itself he couldn't shed

He leaned against the stairwell, knowing that this was normal, that he didn't have anyone to confide in, that his father wouldn't be waiting upstairs. In this world, in this life, he was alone and the only people who knew of his past never felt the need to tell him.

And the one person he knew understood him was too much of an asshole to care.

He sighed. "Good-night, Kakashi-sensei," he said, trudging up the stairs. He could tell by the soft 'whoosh' behind him that Kakashi had gone. He stood outside the door for a moment before he remembered that he kept his key under the doormat. Unlike Sasuke, he didn't keep fancy jutsu around his apartment. The particularly malicious villagers had long since worn out the excitement in vandalizing Naruto's home—save for the random wayward children, like the ones who'd broken his window.

A minute later, he was shutting the door behind him, wondering how it was possible that he could feel emptier than his dark apartment. He flipped on a light and then blinked in mild surprise at the sheet of paper on his table, addressed to him.

"Eh...?"

He picked it up and saw that it was addressed to him, but it was his own handwriting. Sense kicked in half a second later as he realized that it had been written by his other self.

Without really aiming, Naruto toed his shoes off and kicked them into a corner. He dropped into his sofa, which was not nearly as plush or new as Sasuke's so he sank hard into the coils, but ignored the discomfort.

His eyes scanned the paper and the first paragraph alone made him shake his head. The other Naruto was carrying on about their mutual exasperation with the frigid Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto felt a smile tugging on his lips as he read. It was as if he himself had written it; it was the same tone and the same words he would have chosen. Which, of course, made perfect sense considering technically, he _had_.

_"Bastard Sasuke_," the letter began, "_here reminds me of how he was before things happened between us. But believe me, once you get him started, it's impossible to get him away!_

_"Here's some advice on some things. I've heard you're a damn good ninja (although I wasn't all that surprised because well, you're me!) so why don't you use your next check and buy yourself new furniture because that sofa is an insult to all furnishings!"_

Naruto snorted. The furniture in his father's house really was nice and soft and not at all sunken. He sighed, wishing he was home with his father again.

_"I know, I know--ramen is more important and all that and Ichiraku won't give me free samples but still! You get a couple of good missions and get a better place. Or better yet, move in with Sasuke. He's all nice and warm, you know?"_

Naruto blushed at that. "Nice and warm," he whispered to himself, remembering being curled up against Sasuke's chest, legs tangled, steady breaths rustling his hair...a wonderful scene rudely interrupted by the image of Sasuke's cool eyes and emotionless voice, reminding him of the fight they'd just had. "Jerk," he muttered and read on.

_"This Godaime of yours...very strange woman. A little annoying too. She keeps calling me names. My father would never do that. Well, we'll figure this all out soon enough, and I know you're smart, cause you're me and telling slow Sasuke all about our great plans to fix everything. I was surprised that you didn't know about our father, though. That Godaime person of yours--and Sasuke--looked so surprised, although Sasuke being a bastard tried to play it off and smirked, saying the resemblance was obvious._

_"So, basically, remember about the furniture (or moving in with Sasuke). I can't wait to see Dad again. You're really lucky that you're with him. I'm sure you know that though."_

Naruto felt his throat tighten and he nodded to himself.

_"So yeah--don't go moping in that empty apartment, either. I don't think I'd do that, but I guess you-me had a harder time of it so go tackle Sasuke or something."_

It was simply signed "Uzumaki Naruto".

Naruto slumped back into his sofa, wincing as his head fell on a particularly uncomfortable spot and let his hand fall off the edge, the paper slipping from his fingers to land silently on the floor.

He had closed his eyes, mind sifting through his layers of memories of two completely different lives and wondering how long until he switched again, when a sound from his window made him frown and sit up. His eyes widened as Sasuke crawled into his living room, having pried open his taped over window where the glass had yet to be replaced.

"You're still you," he said blandly when Naruto gazed at him. "I was hoping I'd find you here and not wandering the streets looking for the place."

Naruto looked rather surprised at this admittance of caring coming from Sasuke. The fight had gone out of him and he didn't have the energy to really tackle Sasuke again.

"Why didn't you use the door?" Naruto asked, falling back down again and covering his face with his arm.

"Force of habit."

Sasuke's shadow fell over Naruto but Naruto didn't look, keeping his arm in place. He didn't want to look up into that stony face. He pushed away the pleasant memories of him and Sasuke spending days just lounging in bed to find the one from the day before, when Sasuke had told him that there would be no more hesitation now that he knew how Naruto felt. Naruto would have reminded Sasuke of his own words if not for the sense that it would do little good. Maybe Sasuke just didn't want him anymore.

He felt a strong hand clasp his wrist and draw his arm away from his face. He only had a few seconds to look up in surprise before warm lips covered his own. His eyes widened, a tiny panicked voice inside him wondering if he was having a delusional episode...and then a moist tongue swiped across his bottom lip and he knew this was really Sasuke, _his_ Sasuke. And the wonder of it made him close his eyes in bliss.

The hand on his wrist loosened, sliding into place over his palm, fingers lacing. Naruto opened his mouth, inviting Sasuke in. This was what he wanted from Sasuke. This was what he had wanted earlier but had been too wound up to ask for it, too worried that Sasuke would laugh in his face and push him away, giving the excuse of his memories being screwed up to deny it. But Naruto remembered Sasuke's voice clearly as he said he wouldn't hesitate, and he answered to that silent memory and pulled Sasuke closer.

Sasuke lowered himself to his knees beside the sofa, lips gently sliding across Naruto's before pulling away and peering intensely into his face. "Naruto," he said quietly, his voice wavering with an emotion he'd never heard in _his_ Sasuke before.

Naruto scooted over on the narrow sofa and gently squeezed Sasuke's hand, still linked with his. "Lie down with me?" he asked, hoping that Sasuke wouldn't close himself off again.

Sasuke hesitated, his habits from the past warring with what he wanted to do now, with Naruto. To try and fix something. He nodded slowly and moved to lie down next to Naruto, their fingers still laced.

"Don't vanish on me," he ordered. "I'm here with you, not your other self."

Naruto smiled, wondering if Sasuke would let him rest his head on the man's shoulder. He wanted so much to turn his face into that pale neck and kiss the skin there. He decided against trying. If Sasuke wanted to seek closer contact, then he would. It would be asking too much for Sasuke to make that leap in touching.

"Thank you," Naruto breathed.

It was enough, for now, to feel the warmth of Sasuke's body next to him, to have the reassurance that he wasn't alone in this. "You're going to do this again, when everything is fixed, right?" Naruto asked quietly.

Sasuke smiled--a small smile, but the warmth was there. "If we get the time to. After this is over, Hokage-sama will be sending us on back-to-back missions for weeks for wasting so much of her time."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah well, after all that then."

A trace of Sasuke's smirk appeared. "I'll still be here, Naruto."

"Stupid old hag," he muttered, but there was a faint smile there, too. "It'll be good to have missions again. It's been boring without them." He yawned and stretched his own free arm out. "Man, I'm still worn out from earlier."

"That's right, you said you would be training with your father. How'd that go?"

Naruto dropped his arm, resting his hand on Sasuke's hip and absentmindedly rubbing his thumb back and forth over the thin strip of exposed skin where Sasuke's shirt had ridden up. Sasuke's dark eyes flickered to where Naruto's hand touched his skin, but other than a slight tilt of his brow, didn't object.

Naruto's grin broadened, pride shining in his eyes. "Heh. He taught me how to do his Body Flicker technique—his specialized one that made him so fast."

"And?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his face still impassive even with the warmth of Naruto's hand on his skin.

Naruto made a face. "And it's going to take me longer than it took me to learn Kage Bunshin. At least a few days. Maybe as long as it took to learn Rasengan."

"Hm," Sasuke said noncommittally. "You can show it to me next time we train. Sounds interesting."

He shifted against the lumpy sofa, inexplicably distracted by the warm weight of Naruto's hand on his hip and the brush of his finger against his skin. It was pleasant, but distracting.

Naruto bit his lip at the way Sasuke shifted but couldn't quite bring himself to move his hand away. _Maybe he's asking for more_, he thought absently. It was what the other Sasuke always did when Naruto wasn't 'touching enough.' He knew he was probably remembering things that didn't belong in his batch of memories, but after Sasuke—the other Sasuke, that is—had given into touching, the bastard was really greedy about it.

"It's really cool, Sasuke." Naruto's eyes brightened. "And no stealing it with your sharingan!"

"Don't be stupid, Naruto. I don't think my sharingan is enough to steal a Hokage-level technique," he said.

Naruto blinked, remembering the other Sasuke saying almost the exact same thing. "Um, right," he said, chuckling. He bit his lip and looked longingly at Sasuke's mouth.

Sasuke should have been annoyed that Naruto wasn't taking initiative, but instead, he licked his lips, reveling in the way Naruto's breath caught. _Hmm_, Sasuke mused, suddenly not nearly as adverse to this form of power.

But he didn't count on Naruto still being half caught up in memories that weren't his and was caught off guard when warm lips teased his own and that warm hand that was holding his hip gripped more tightly.

"I'll really enjoy showing you what I learned," Naruto murmured, no longer certain if he was talking about the jutsu or something else entirely.

Sasuke's first impulse was to push Naruto away, but halfway through stiffening his muscles, he forced himself to relax. He had come here not to start another fight, but to try and repair the fragile threads of their relationship. And honestly, he had had a lot of time to think about it in the hours between Naruto's last switch and had come to the surprising conclusion that when--and most likely, _because_--it was Naruto, kissing really wasn't so bad.

Naruto sighed softly when Sasuke didn't pull away, but he kept the kiss light and simple, not wanting to do anything to push it too far just yet. But Sasuke seemed to want more, and Naruto's fingers gently caressed his skin again.

Sasuke leaned into the kiss, pressing his mouth a little more insistently against Naruto's. He felt Naruto's lips curve slightly against his before they both opened their mouths at the same time, tongues darting out to slide wetly together. He felt a shiver race down his spine and almost pulled away in surprise.

Somewhere in the part of his brain where logic ruled, he wondered how such simple contact could bring such comfort to people. All he'd had to do was kiss Naruto and Naruto had forgiven him.

Naruto's hands tightened on Sasuke briefly, mouth tilting up to get more contact. His fingers curled possessively around Sasuke's slim hip as his tongue pushed into Sasuke's mouth, heat beginning to coil in his gut as Sasuke opened his mouth willingly. He dimly realized that he should probably stop before things got out of hand and Sasuke pushed him away for good...but right then, Sasuke was warm, cooperative, _responsive_ even in his own subtle way.

It was a give and take so he took--he wanted to see what Sasuke would give him. He needed the reassurance that Sasuke wasn't just in shock or something. He pulled away slightly, breath fanning over Sasuke's lips.

"You okay?" he breathed, staring into that pale beautiful face through half-lowered lids.

Sasuke blinked, clearing away the curious haze that had settled over him. He smirked at Naruto's question. "I'm not a girl, Naruto."

"Well, you could at least respond back so I don't think you're humoring me or something," Naruto grumbled. The tips of his fingers set up a slow, stroking rhythm through the cloth of Sasuke's shirt.

"Since when does kissing back not constitute as responding?" Sasuke asked in that same amused tone.

"So," Naruto said uncertainly. "You're okay with this?"

Sasuke gave him a subdued version of his signature glare. "I'm not doing this for only your benefit, Naruto."

Naruto felt himself grow red at that. "I wasn't...that's not..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and kissed him again, effectively cutting off his rambling stutter. He liked it much better this way, shutting up Naruto's protests without violence. While it was strange to not be beating each other up, he found that he enjoyed the quiet whimper that much more, and was suddenly determined to bring it out again.

Naruto whimpering was a much better sound than Naruto whining about Sasuke being an ass. And while Sasuke certainly wouldn't deny the accusation (he really quite enjoyed being himself), once he got over the initial strangeness of someone touching him in ways that had nothing to do with combat, he definitely wanted to be the one causing Naruto's more pleasant sounds. If he had to admit to himself truthfully, a large part of him had wanted this for a long time; but, as he'd told Naruto the night before, he'd never been certain how Naruto felt about him. His hands slipped underneath the fabric of Naruto's shirt, eliciting a gasp from Naruto. _Even better than the whimper._

Even though he'd never exactly done this before, it was in his nature to take the lead in situations that might spiral out of control...like right then as Naruto's tongue had seemingly lost all inhibition and was thoroughly ravishing his mouth. He rose onto his elbow, fingers still locked around Naruto's as he leaned over him, other hand trailing over a muscled stomach.

Naruto gave another soft growl into Sasuke's mouth, wanting Sasuke to be the one beneath him, to have Sasuke murmuring his name. _It's not fair that he's always the one in control. I have more experience than he does at the moment._ Granted, that experience was from the other Sasuke, but, still.

A moment later, he wondered what he'd been thinking as Sasuke's hand settled on his chest, fingers brushing over his left nipple. He arched into the touch, groaning softly.

Sasuke managed to smirk around a mouthful of Naruto's tongue. "Like that, Naruto?" he murmured, pulling back just a hair's breadth.

Naruto's lids fluttered to half-mast, blue slits glaring at the man above him. "You," he said lowly, running his tongue languidly across Sasuke's lower lip, "are much too coherent for someone with a tongue down his throat."

Sasuke smirked, dark eyes smoky with barely restrained lust. Seeing what he wanted, Naruto decided to up the stakes a little and prayed that Sasuke wouldn't take his move as too much and toss Naruto away. The hand that had been stroking Sasuke's bare skin moved a little further south, cupping Sasuke's groin and giving it a firm squeeze.

Sasuke jerked back, eyes widening. Naruto flushed, dropping his hand.

"Er...sorry?" he said sheepishly. His hand, still linked with Sasuke's, tightened, pleading for him not to let go, not to leave.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Naruto grew increasingly more squeamish. "Hn," he grunted, a mischievous look glinting in his dark eyes as he lowered his head again and swept his tongue through Naruto's mouth.

Naruto's own eyes widened briefly before closing in relief and pleasure. He smiled against Sasuke's lips before returning his hand to Sasuke's groin, moving from a simple squeeze to a light stroke, fingertips running over the half hard erection. Sasuke wasn't going to be the one with _all_ the power here.

He gasped when Sasuke suddenly squeezed his nipple before withdrawing his hand from beneath Naruto's shirt.

"Where did you learn to do that, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, breath quickening as Naruto's hand stroked him through his pants.

Naruto had the grace to look lightly embarrassed, but didn't offer a reply. He slid his hand from Sasuke's groin, past that smooth strip of skin and grabbed a handful of firm backside, arching up to show Sasuke that he was equally as turned on and to divert Sasuke's attention from his question so as to avoid a rather embarrassing confession about what he'd done with the other Sasuke.

Sasuke gasped against him, eyes widening in that momentary surprise that Naruto loved so much, because rare was the moment that Sasuke dropped his guard long enough for it be seen.

"C'mon, Uchiha," Naruto murmured against Sasuke's throat, eyes gleaming. "You're still thinking too much."

He dropped kisses from the corner of Sasuke's mouth across a smooth plain of pale cheek to the strong curve of a jaw line, his hips thrusting upward. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, his free hand finding purchase on Naruto's upper arm, strong fingers digging into the muscle. He ground his hips downward, coherence flying out the broken window as his lower body burned.

Naruto growled lightly, teeth nipping and his hand squeezing the firm flesh of Sasuke's backside, using it to push the dark haired boy more firmly into him. This was _his_ Sasuke, the one he'd loved for so long, who understood him. This wasn't him trying to fool himself into believing another version of the man above him would be enough because he knew now that it wasn't. This was what he wanted and doing it with the Sasuke he knew so well, who knew _him_ so well, made it that much more gratifying. And it would be even more gratifying to have Sasuke whimpering his name.

Sasuke bit his lip to keep from moaning as his length pressed into Naruto's, heat and friction sending pulses of pleasure to places he wasn't aware could even feel such things. Naruto's lips latched onto his neck, sucking hard.

"Nnn." Sasuke groaned, thrusting ardently down against the hard body twisting and shuddering beneath him. Control and dominance slipped away unheeded for the first time in too long as he bit down on Naruto's cloth-covered shoulder.

Naruto reveled in this small power that he held over Sasuke, pulling him even closer and murmuring into his ear, warm breath moving over the sensitive skin in puffs. "That's it, Sasuke." Naruto encouraged him with another squeeze and thrust. "I want to hear you."  
He hoped he didn't sound stupid--it sounded fine when Sasuke was encouraging him, but he wasn't sure about the other way around.

Sasuke growled, his hands smoothing over Naruto's shoulders to tangle in blond strands. His breath came in pants, heating the skin just above Naruto's collarbone where his mouth had found purchase.

"Naruto," he breathed and Naruto closed his eyes, almost coming right then and there at the sound of his name breathless on Sasuke's lips.

Sasuke groaned Naruto's name again, his thrusts growing urgent as he reached for something that was just out of his reach. His mouth searched out Naruto's again, and this time the kiss was less tentative and fiercer, both of them not really thinking beyond what they _wanted_, almost _needed_ from each other. He pulled his lips away with a loud smack, gasping for much needed air.

"Fuck." It was the only warning given before Sasuke's teeth sank hard onto Naruto's shoulder and he shuddered, wet warmth spreading between them where their bodies continued to grind against each other.

Naruto thrust upward hard, searching for his own release. It didn't take much; a moment later he groaned loudly and came. Sasuke collapsed on top of him, boneless and breathless. He was heavy but Naruto didn't mind the weight.

His mind felt oddly settled and not out of place at all. He knew who he was, who this Sasuke was--what everything was supposed to be like. He rested his lips in the crook of Sasuke's neck, breathing in the musky smell of his best friend/new lover.

After a moment, Sasuke rose to his elbows, dark eyes gazing contemplatively down at Naruto. Naruto bit his lip before smiling gently, waiting for a reaction, one that he hoped wouldn't be delayed disgust with what they'd just done.

Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of it all so for the moment, he said nothing. He would sort everything out later when Naruto wasn't there to befuddle him further. He leaned forward, lips hovering at Naruto's ear. "I need to clean up," he said softly.

Naruto sighed as Sasuke's weight was lifted off him and he watched the back of that dark head disappear into the bathroom. Naruto shifted so he was sitting up and leaned back into the couch, nose wrinkling as he noticed his own state. _I need to clean up, too_, he thought absently, but he wasn't sure if Sasuke would welcome his presence. He knew his friend well, and knew what they did was new territory. Naruto would have to tread very carefully.

"Naruto," Sasuke called. Naruto could divine nothing from the even tone of his voice. "I need pants."

Naruto pushed off the sofa and lumbered into his room to snatch a pair of clean black pants from his closet and tossed them to Sasuke, who had not yet shut the bathroom door. When he did, Naruto leaned back against it, mind startlingly clear. Sensations, touches, tastes of all their previous encounters flittered through his mind, but they were vague and unfocused because they were simply impressions of memories he'd never created himself. He was almost giddy from the realization that he wasn't going to lose who he was, that _Sasuke_ was the one that kept him centered and focused.

"Sasuke." Naruto cleared his throat from how hoarse it sounded, and tried again. "I..."

The door opened and Naruto straightened away from the entrance, turning to face him. Sasuke cast his crotch a cursory glance before saying, still in that even unreadable voice, "You should clean up too."

Naruto opened his mouth again, but found the stickiness in the front of his pants too uncomfortable to ignore. So he sighed and wheeled back around to his room to grab another pair of pants.

He was vastly uncomfortable now, unsure of where they were to go from there. For all he knew, Sasuke was acting on a 'spillover' effect or jealousy or hormones. Naruto didn't want to press the issue, didn't want to ask too many questions right away that would close Sasuke off from him completely.

When he got back to the bathroom, Sasuke was sitting at the small table by the kitchen. Naruto did not miss the fact that Sasuke's back was to the sofa. He pursed his lips and shut the door, quickly setting about cleaning himself and changing his pants, wondering if Sasuke would still be waiting when he was finished.

He didn't get the chance to discover that or ask any questions at all, before a wave of dizziness washed over him, almost worse than any other time before. _It's a damn good thing I've already cleaned up_, he thought in annoyance as he almost fell over. _And Sasuke better learn that jutsu soon. I am not going through this shit again._

He closed his eyes until the nausea passed before tentatively peeking through one lid. He recognized the bathroom in his father's house and sighed. Noticing that he wasn't wearing the same pair of pants he'd had on when he'd switched earlier, he was left little doubt as to what his other self and Sasuke had been up to. Perhaps even more disorienting than the shifting of his surroundings was suddenly finding himself in whatever clothes the other him was wearing at the moment of change.

He left the bathroom and padded barefoot down the hall back to his room where a large lump, presumably Sasuke, was lying across his bed in the dark.

Naruto leaned against the doorframe, sighing softly. "I'm sorry to say, we switched again," his voice was carefully controlled. "While it's a good thing we switched _back_ so we can perform the jutsu, I guess that..."

He blinked as Sasuke turned to face him, dark eyes unreadable as always. "Are you going to start apologizing again?" he asked bluntly.

Naruto frowned slightly. "Well," he floundered for a moment before blowing out his breath in resignation. "Things will be fixed tomorrow so no, I'm not apologizing again."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Good. Now get into bed. I'm tired." He smirked, leaving Naruto to speculate _why_ he was tired as he turned away, burrowing into the sheets.

Despite what had just happened with his Sasuke, Naruto felt natural sliding onto the bed, taking comfort in the warmth beside him. Mixed memories and their resulting emotions were pressing back around him, now that he was no longer distracted by his pleasure with Sasuke.

Of course, his comfort was greatly influenced by the slow merging of him and his other self, but he didn't really mind right then as he felt the drowsy weight of sleep tug at his eyelids. Tomorrow would be his last day with his father. The thought was just enough to jar him momentarily back into wakefulness. He tried not to think about those warm blue eyes encouraging him to try harder at shuriken practice, or the comforting weight of the Yondaime's hand on his shoulder. Instead, he resolved to spend as much time as possible clinging to his father until they performed the jutsu. He didn't care if it was childish; he needed it and he knew his father would understand.

At least he would go back _knowing_ that he had a father, one who had cared deeply for him. He had a glimpse of a life that was vastly different from his own, one that another part of him was allowed to experience. Sasuke had no such chance. Again, Naruto idly wondered if there was a world where Itachi hadn't gone nuts or didn't exist at all.

He sighed against Sasuke's skin, eyes half shut. For this moment, he could accept this as what normalcy was--the warmth of Sasuke beside him, the comforting feel of his chest moving beneath Naruto's hand and the steady beat of his heart lulling him into sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 15**

Naruto awoke that morning determined to spend as much time as he could with his father--he only had a few more hours and the degree to which it hurt was something he kept carefully hidden so his father wouldn't worry.

He watched as his father moved around him, so confident and strong, and it shook him that this man was nothing more than memory in his world. He wondered if, once things were fixed, he would retain the memories of the other Naruto, memories filled with his father.

Naruto refused to dwell on it. Like he'd thought before, there was probably even another reality where the Uchiha clan was still alive. It was the same soul, but countless different circumstances.

"So you think I did well?" Naruto asked eagerly, referring to their practice the morning before.

They were having a casual breakfast in the living room, Naruto and his father taking up the majority of the couch while Sasuke, having just returned from an early morning practice (during which he'd practiced the jutsu he'd have to perform at noon), lounged in an adjacent armchair. The Yondaime settled his chopsticks on top of his plate and grinned at his son.

"I was very impressed, Naruto. The fact that you even managed to move at all was amazing. Of course," he said with a wink, "it does help that you've got Kyuubi's chakra, but the willpower was all your own."

Naruto frowned at the reminder that it was Kyuubi's chakra that fueled most of it, and he asked what he'd been wondering for a long time. "So if I didn't have Kyuubi's chakra, I wouldn't be strong?"

The Yondaime looked momentarily startled by the question before seriously contemplating it. "It's not that you wouldn't be strong, Naruto. You've just spent the majority of your ninja training learning to access and harness Kyuubi's chakra, while sort of neglecting your own. Without Kyuubi's chakra, you would have been left to learn how to push only your own chakra to its limits and I have little doubt you would have done just as well."

"Yeah, but I _sucked_ at the beginning," he pointed out, setting aside his bowl. "I mean. I could do kage bunshin, but I couldn't even pull off a regular bunshin."

"You learned mass kage bunshin in one evening, Naruto, on your own. With_out_ Kyuubi's chakra. With that kind of determination paired with proper training, you would still have been an excellent ninja," his father insisted.

Naruto blinked at that. He'd forgotten that he hadn't been using Kyuubi's chakra at that point yet. He scratched his head in thought. "Ero-sennin said that it was because I had so much I couldn't control it. I just thought he was referring to Kyuubi's and not my own. He said that because there was so much there, I couldn't distill it for the little stuff."

"Well, you've learned though, right? And you've had _two_ sets of chakra to sort out. If you only had your own, you'd be even better than you are now at controlling how you use it. Naruto, I won't lie and say that you'd be just as powerful. Frankly, Kyuubi's chakra gives you an advantage few could overcome; but even so, you'd still make a formidable ninja without it."

Naruto looked pleased at that, eyes brightening at the compliment. "Well, I'm your son, right?" he asked with a grin. "It'd sure suck if I didn't have some of your talent."

Sasuke snorted discretely into his bowl. Naruto decided to ignore him; his father had his attention right now, thank you very much.

"We could get into a debate again over what exactly you inherited from me," his father began with a chuckle.

"Let's not," Naruto muttered, not quite hiding his smile, as he dug into his breakfast.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Scared to admit you might not have inherited brains along with the features?" He smirked at Naruto's annoyed look. "You're not very quick on the uptake."

"Well, _you_ must have inherited some egotistical gene because you always seem to think you're so clever," Naruto snapped irritably. To be honest, he had only ever met two Uchihas (the last surviving Uchihas, to be exact) but Itachi had also seemed exceedingly arrogant.

Sasuke wasn't offended however. After all, he really was rather clever sometimes. Naruto gave him a disgusted look, obviously realizing what the man was thinking.

Naruto groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "And just as overbearing and too damned sure of himself," he snapped. "It's nice to use that thing called 'modesty' every once in a while."

"Right, because you're so modest yourself," Sasuke quipped.

Naruto bristled. While it was true that he was sometimes overly enthusiastic about his own abilities, Sasuke's silent arrogance was far more overbearing at times—at least according to Naruto.

He poked at the remainder of his food and let his thoughts drift over what had happened over the past few days.

"Sasuke, did you ever want to shout out loud, so that people noticed you? Even if they turned to you to tell you to be quiet, would you be happy because they spoke to you?" He still didn't look at Sasuke, but kept his eyes trained on his bowl.

"No," Sasuke said without pause. "When people talked to me, they tended to ask questions I didn't want to answer. So people stopped talking to me. And I don't particularly care. Saves me from having to carry on pointless conversations with people I don't care to talk to."

Naruto made an effort of trying to divide his childhood memories into two parts--one overrun with images of his father and the other of an empty apartment cluttered with scrolls and weapons because no one had ever scolded him about picking up after himself. "That's awfully lonely," he said quietly.

Sasuke shot Naruto a brief look of surprise, eyes narrowing slightly. "Why do you ask, Naruto?"

"I don't know, just trying to get into your head, I guess," he said, grinning brightly as if the past minute had not occurred. "Surprisingly more difficult than getting into your pants."

He snickered at the venomous look Sasuke gave him. Naruto chortled even louder, encouraged when he caught his father hiding a smile behind his cup.

"What?!" Naruto demanded, eyes bright with private amusement. "A few years ago, either idea would have been equally impossible to entertain, but I rather like the idea of knowing you more than getting into your pants."

Sasuke's eyes grew wary, wondering what Naruto was getting at. He glanced at the Yondaime, who gave him a neutral smile, enjoying the exchange between the boys.

"Unlike you, I'm not always thinking about sex," Naruto said flippantly, grinning when Sasuke's wariness changed to offense. Before Sasuke could retort, he turned back to his father. "What were you planning to do until noon? I noticed you didn't rush off this morning to the office like usual." He kept his tone light although the Yondaime knew what he was really getting at.

"I thought we'd spend the morning together," he said.

Naruto's eyes brightened and he sat up straighter, but tried not to seem too eager over the news. "Really?" he asked. "The whole morning?"

Sasuke cut in, lips curling upward with amusement. "If he tries to eat your cooking again, he'll need the whole morning to recover."

"Astounding as your wit is, seeing as I didn't cook this morning, your concern for him is misplaced," Naruto said, head tilted as he looked down his nose in an imperious manner that Sasuke sometimes affected.

Sasuke smirked and gave him a look that said, 'you think you've won but just wait.'

"What did you boys want to do?" the Yondaime asked, interrupting their staring contest.

Naruto blinked and looked a little confused. He wasn't sure what families really did together, how they interacted or whatever. And he was trying his hardest to ignore misplaced memories and concentrated instead on what he recalled other families doing.

"I don't know," Naruto finally admitted. "Um... what sort of stuff _can_ we do?"

The Yondaime looked thoughtful. "Well, I guess we could take a look around the marketplace." He laughed when Naruto wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Well we haven't really been out together, just as father and son, for a long time."

When his father put it that way, it really didn't sound so bad, Naruto thought.

"Shall I leave you two alone, then?" Sasuke asked dryly, already getting up. "I should practice that jutsu more anyways, and you can spend some time alone with your father, Naruto."

Oddly enough, Naruto almost reached out to grasp Sasuke's sleeve to keep him from leaving. Sasuke would still be there when things were fixed; he wasn't going to fade back into history like his father would.

Naruto stood and lifted his hand, fingers brushing Sasuke's cheek. Arguing or exchanging banter with the man seemed incredibly trivial right then. "I want... " Naruto smiled, a little sadly, as all his memories with this Sasuke, although they weren't his own, reeled through his head. "I want to say good-bye properly later."

Sasuke smirked and arched an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, gaze running down the length of Naruto's body.

Naruto felt his cheeks burn. "Not like _that_, geez." He shoved at Sasuke, ignoring his father's not so discreet coughing. "I meant, I know that we'll see each other or whatever, but... you... I..." Naruto felt his cheeks darken further. "You're different from the Sasuke I know and deserve something more than a simple 'see ya later' or what have you."

Sasuke's smirk faded into a blank expression. "I know what you meant, Naruto. I'll meet you two at the Hokage tower at 11:30. You can have a whole half hour to say good-bye to me."

Naruto briefly wondered if that would be enough time. He looked to his father who was sitting patiently, sipping his morning coffee. It had to be enough, he decided, because any time lost with his father was time he'd regret later.

He promised he'd hurt Sasuke later if he made fun of him now, and lifted a hand to brush across Sasuke's cheek before cupping it in his hand. "I will miss you," he said softly. "I really got to like you, you know?" He gave an embarrassed laugh, but didn't look away. "Don't think I'm all sappy or sentimental or whatever, but I really will miss you, Sasuke."

"Ready to go?" his father asked cheerfully, standing and making a show of putting away the dishes to give Naruto time enough to rein in his emotions.

"Yep," Naruto said, grinning again. He felt the brush of a hand against his own and turned back again to find Sasuke standing close.

"I'll see you later," he said.

Naruto had a small smile on his face as he left the house with his father, but he couldn't help the unconscious tension his body took on when they moved further down the street and he felt all eyes on him.

_Probably just my father_, he reassured himself. _Can't let anything ruin this moment._

"So, ramen first?" he asked with a knowing smile. So what if they had just had breakfast? There was always more room for ramen.

"You got it," his father said and they veered their way through the streets toward the ramen stand.

Naruto looked over at the Yondaime, smiling at how his father still stood almost a head taller than him. Naruto figured he still had a couple growing years left and, while he was currently at an admirable height, if he was lucky, he'd be as tall as the Yondaime.

His father turned his head and caught Naruto's eye. "What is it?" he asked, smiling.

"Just thinking how nice it'll be to be taller than Sasuke," Naruto said with a grin. "Like as tall as you." He tugged at the ends of his hair and smirked. "I already know I take after your good looks, why not throw in the whole package?" His eyes brightened with amusement.

"You want to lord your height _and_ good looks over Sasuke?" His father shook his head. "Now, Naruto, it isn't fair to flaunt _everything_." His look said otherwise and it was obvious he was repressing a grin.

Naruto's identical grin set them both into laughing fits. He was no longer aware of the looks any of the villagers gave them, even the fond ones from those who found the pair endearing. Naruto felt a warmth in his chest when the Yondaime threw a fatherly arm around his shoulders and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"I've been thinking," Naruto said, "of growing out my hair. What do you think?"

His father considered that for a moment as they settled next to each other on the stools at Ichiraku. "I think it would suit you," he said seriously. "I've asked before, but why do you always keep it so short?"

Naruto shrugged. "You've never asked _me_ actually," he said with a crooked smile. "I keep it short so it doesn't get in the way. But you do just fine with how long your hair is so," he shrugged again, as if that were enough to justify his wanting to change his look.

"You said you didn't want other people thinking you were trying to be me," his father said with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto grinned. "Aw, but what's wrong with that?" he protested jokingly. "You're my dad, after all; I would think that it'd be a kind of compliment." His voice turned more serious. "And now that I know, I think I'd want that. I mean, I thought about it before and tried it once." At his father's confused look, he explained. "A henge, you know? Just to see what I looked like with longer hair and I saw how much I looked like you. I never told anyone."

"Mmm," his father said noncommittally. "And now you aren't afraid of what anyone else might say about your resemblance to me?"

"I have nothing to be ashamed of," Naruto said.

He let the Yondaime order for them and propped his chin in his palm, letting his father's image replace Iruka's in his memories of childhood trips to Ichiraku.

"It was never really shame," he continued. "Just--" his eyes were slightly pained "--you know that people were still hurting over the Kyuubi attack." An ironic twist to his mouth showed the vast understatement to that little fact. "They saw me as the Kyuubi when I was younger, and when I got older, I think they saw me as the monster that..." He didn't want to actually say 'the monster that killed you.'

"They placed you responsible for my death," the Yondaime said shrewdly.

Naruto, unable to lie to those sharp blue eyes, nodded. He accepted the bowl set before him with a grateful smile and snapped his chopsticks apart, prepared to dig in, but not before saying, "I think I like looking like you."

His father smirked. "Of course you would," he stated. "Who wouldn't want to look like me?"

Naruto snorted around a mouthful of ramen. "Glad to see I didn't get my modesty from you," he said with a snicker, completely avoiding the issue of the blame. "But yeah. I guess it'd be sort of a way of... honoring you? Respecting you?" He shrugged. "Keeping you with me?" he added softly.

"I think those are perfectly reasonable excuses to grow out your hair," his father said, his large hand resting warmly against Naruto's shoulder. "I grew mine because I thought it was rather flattering."

Naruto laughed, choking down his mouthful of ramen. "You are," he gasped for air, laughing in between his wheezes, "so full of shit."

His father chuckled and clapped Naruto hard between his shoulder blades.

They ate amiably for several minutes until the Yondaime asked casually, "So how have you and your Sasuke been getting along since the switch started?"

Naruto was promptly reminded of a smooth, moist tongue plunging into his mouth. He shivered, not at all wanting to feel aroused by such memories with his father sitting beside him. "Er. We're fine."

His father smirked, leaning his chin on one hand. "Really?" he asked, one eyebrow raising and a knowing look on his face. "Just fine?"

Naruto blushed and turned back to his meal and tried to concentrate on matters that didn't involve Sasuke shoving him into a wall or other surface. "Yeah, we've had a lot of good talks."

The Yondaime nodded seriously. "Is that what you're calling it these days?"

Naruto resisted elbowing his father as that would probably be inappropriate. "I'm serious," he said, although his blush made it rather unconvincing. "We talked about things. We're...good."

His father laughed at how evasive his son was being. "Not terribly lucid this morning, are you?"

Naruto's flush deepened and he avoided looking at his father for several long moments. He spoke only when he felt collected enough to speak. "Well, the other Sasuke and I had a long talk about what we're going to do and this Sasuke and I talked about the differences and how we became close."

His father nodded. "I see. So then this switch has been good for one thing at least."

Naruto turned to the Yondaime, blinking in surprise. "_One thing?_ As screwed up as it is, it's been the best thing that's happened to me _ever_." He smiled at his father, a little embarrassed by his admission.

His father's eyes softened at that and he gave a small smile. "I'm glad to hear it, Naruto, that you enjoy being here. You know, you'd always talk about becoming Hokage and doing what I did for the village, but I think hearing it from you again, in this way means a great deal more. Naruto, I really am proud of you."

Naruto blushed again, this time for an entirely different reason. "Thanks, Dad." The word slipped easily from his lips, misplaced memories of years of having called the man by that title easing the way.

The Yondaime seemed pleased at hearing this and Naruto could hardly believe how at ease he felt spending time with a father he'd only just discovered and, in a matter of hours, was about to lose again.

The thought sent a painful jab to his heart, but he reminded himself that he'd at least have memories to sustain him, the knowledge that someone cared for him and loved him, the thought of what life could have been like. It wasn't as bad anymore, but he was still going to have a nice, _long_ talk with a few teachers of his. Kakashi wouldn't say a thing, but he could probably blackmail Ero-sennin for days.

He had a wicked mental cackle at the thought.

"What are we going to do after this?" he asked eagerly, already slurping up the last of his noodles.

"I thought we could wander the marketplace for a bit. Maybe we'll find something interesting for the house. You can pick it out and we'll always have it as a reminder of your time here."

Naruto gave a smile at that. "Hehe. I'll never be out of your minds!" he said gleefully. "It's a shame I can't visit or bring pictures back with me or something." He made a face at that. "Or can I?" He looked thoughtful at that. _I'd give up my dream to become Hokage to have a picture with my father and me in it._

The Yondaime gave him a sad little smile. "Seeing as the transition occurs on a spiritual plane rather than a shift of your physical body, I don't think that's possible."

Naruto shrugged, pretending that the disappointment wasn't as acute as it felt. "Well, it was just a thought," he said with a lopsided grin. "You better believe I'm snagging a picture of you, even if I have to raid Kakashi-sensei's house to do it." He grinned and rested his hands behind his head, eyes crinkling up with amusement.

His father snorted. "And I'd love to see what my student would do to you when he catches you rifling through his drawers."

"Who says I won't go into them without his knowledge? It would serve him right if I did it behind his back though." He bit his lip, remembering his brief conversation with Kakashi the night before as he'd walked to his apartment. As much as rational thought told him that it wasn't Kakashi's fault he'd kept it a secret, that didn't keep Naruto from being royally pissed anyway.

His father raised an eyebrow at the vehement statement. "I take it that this has something to do with your last 'trip' back?" he asked mildly. "You asked a few questions of my stubborn student, didn't you?"

At Naruto's hesitant nod, his father sighed.

"I can't say anything for certain on Kakashi's feelings, but I've known him since he was very young. He lost his father early on," here an ironic smile. "And was very closed off, but very honorable. If he didn't tell you anything, Naruto, it was with good reason."

Naruto knew this, of course, but he still felt he was entitled to feeling a little bitter at being kept in the dark for so long. He also resolved to pay proper homage to the stone monument once his recently upturned life straightened itself out. Maybe he would even join Kakashi on his silent visits. His father wouldn't want him mourning for him, but wasn't that what he would have to do? He wasn't coming back after Sasuke performed the jutsu.

Naruto made a face as he finished the ramen and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, yeah, I guess so," he allowed. "But that doesn't mean I still can't wonder." Determined to put such melancholy thoughts behind him. He simply _couldn't_ think of his father as dead. He forced a smile on his face. "So what next?"

"Market place, come on." Naruto stood and followed his father down the street. Just around the corner, the market was bustling. He stayed close to his father's side, not at all embarrassed at wanting to stay in close proximity to him. Besides, there was little else for him to do, as the villagers pressed in all around him as they scurried about their morning shopping.

He had to fight off a sudden blush as he recalled what happened the last time he was in the crowded market place, and hoped that no one else nearby had been there at the time and would remember him straddling Sasuke in public.

"So what do you do here?" he asked with a faint grin. "I, uh... don't really go shopping much and all."

"Oh, we'll just have a look around. Let me know if anything catches your eye."

Naruto bit his lip as they stopped at a shop that sold what looked like random trinkets. Naruto sighed and let the Yondaime look around as he loitered by the exit. He immediately straightened when he saw a man selling ice cream and novelties a few shops away. He bit his lip. It had always been a silly thing, wanting to share a popsicle with one's father, but that one time Naruto had seen it on his journey with Jiraiya, it had never failed to strike him as a reassurance that there was someone there to share it with you.

He rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "Uh, it's awfully hot out, isn't it?" he asked casually. "There's someone over there that's selling ice cream. We could, um, share one." he said brightly, as if it was all the fault of the weather that inspired him to get ice cream.

The Yondaime gave his son a curious look before grinning and saying, "Sounds good. Lead the way."

They left the shop and Naruto couldn't help the bounce in his step as he let his father buy twin cherry popsicles from the vendor. He felt ridiculously childish and insanely pleased at the same time when his father snapped the pops apart and handed one to him.

"Thanks," he said, averting his face.

His father smiled gently and slowly ate the treat. "Tastes better when you're not eating the whole thing by yourself, hmm?" he asked. "Or at least, I always thought so. Of course, it's been a while since you shared one with me." He gave Naruto an amused glance.

Naruto, if he allowed himself to search the layers of memories still popping into his head at odd times, could vaguely recall doing this as a child with his father. But, naturally, this one, his own, he would always treasure.

"So, uh," Naruto said, as they continued. "Where to now?"

"Let's look here," his father said, taking a final bite of his pop. He gestured to a store in front of which a table was set where an old couple sat playing shogi.

"Ehehe. I was never very good at that game." He watched with interest though, vaguely surprised when they looked up from their game to smile at him and his father.

"Yondaime-sama, Naruto-kun." The elder man smiled widely at the two of them. "You two are looking more alike than ever."

Naruto flushed, pleased with the compliment.

"Kakegawa-san." His father inclined his head to them as they did likewise.

"Were you looking for something in particular, Hokage-sama?" the old woman asked, slowly pushing herself to her feet to assist them.

"Oh no, return to your game. My son and I are just browsing." The Yondaime helped her back into her chair and led Naruto into the shop.

Naruto grinned, not able to keep the pleased expression from his face. "Other people notice we look alike, too?" he asked. His father nodded, eyes bright with amusement.

"Oh, yes. There was this one elderly couple that got confused between the two of us. She called me by your name and called you 'Hokage-sama.' You preened the entire day."

Naruto gave his father a dubious look even though he knew he had done just that. He wandered past a table covered in colorful shawls just as the old man shuffled into the shop. He gave Naruto a toothy grin (minus some of the teeth) as he disappeared into the back.

Naruto arched an eyebrow, amused. He felt his father's hand on his shoulder and smiled, turning to the Yondaime.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Just a moment, Hokage-sama," the old man said, reemerging with what appeared to be a camera in his hand. "Would you do the honor of letting me take a picture of both father and son together? Give you copies and everything."

Naruto felt his heart constrict suddenly, and he knew the perfect gift to leave behind. "This is what I'd like, Dad," he said, giving the old man a broad smile.

The Yondaime put his arm around Naruto and drew him up against his side. "I think I like this too, Naruto," he said, his smile just as bright as his son's. "Thank you, Kakegawa-san."

The old man waved it off with an excited grin and lifted the camera to look through the lens.

Naruto leaned forward, his father's arm a comfortable weight over his shoulders. He knew that he couldn't take this home with him, but he could leave this reminder that he had been here, so that, years from now, at least one half of the 'family' would have proof that it had all happened.

Father and son made identical smiles as the camera flashed. Naruto immediately jumped forward, practically bouncing as the picture slid out from the camera. He grinned at his father as they waited for the image to appear.

"Ah, a lovely picture," the old man said, handing it to Naruto. Naruto beamed down at the image of him and his father.

"Wow," he murmured. Looking at himself standing beside the Yondaime, he saw for the first time what others saw looking at them.

_We really do look alike_. It was hard to look at a picture or just himself in the mirror and make the comparison, but seeing them standing side by side like that. He turned to the old man and his smile was more sincere than it had been in a long time.

"Thank you," he said, eyes bright. "This is the best thing... I--" He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks."

"You two ought to take more pictures together if you're so pleased with it," the old man said, chuckling.

Naruto handed the picture to the Yondaime. The older man smiled tenderly down at the image.

"It's curious," he said quietly.

"What is?" Naruto asked, looking from his father's gentle expression to the picture.

"That even in this picture, if I look closely, I can tell it's not the other you."

Naruto tilted his head, eyes squinting. "How can you tell?" he asked, after they moved a little away from the old man. "I mean, I know what I look like and the last picture I took was probably when I got my jounin license, but--" He smiled. "Do we really look so different, even in a picture?"

His father nodded carefully. "Nothing so obvious, but there is something there." He smiled down at the photo. It was in the way Naruto carried himself, the slant of his shoulders, the look in his eyes; tiny, insignificant things that revealed everything Naruto thought to hide, or didn't even realize was there.

Naruto grinned. "Then you really will have something special to remember me by."

The Yondaime pulled Naruto into a one armed hug as he pocketed the picture. "You do know I would have remembered you anyway, right?" he asked. They bid the old man good-bye, thanking him profusely again for the picture, and left the shop, Naruto still tucked under his father's arm.

"I should hope so," Naruto said sarcastically. They chuckled softly as they wandered through the marketplace.

His father looked up at the sun and winced. Naruto followed his gaze, and his expression faltered for a moment.

"I...I guess it's time," he said.

He knew he should be grateful that everything would go back to normal, that his father would have the son he knew back and that the Naruto who grew up with this father would have his family back. But it still hurt and part of him didn't want to let go--ever.

"I almost wish we didn't have to do this," Naruto murmured as they left the busy marketplace and turned down one of the many streets that lead to the Hokage tower.

His father squeezed his shoulders affectionately, but didn't reply. Naruto didn't mind. He knew the Yondaime was torn between the son he had always known and the son he'd only just discovered, and the paradox that they were one and the same.

This would be the last time he entered the tower with his father as the Hokage and Naruto abruptly shoved that fact out of his mind, especially when he was faced with Sasuke on the tower's grounds.

"Keep that picture close," Naruto said softly, bangs shadowing his eyes.

"I will, Naruto."

He felt the deep timbre of his father's voice, slightly strained, vibrate against his own chest as his father pulled him close for a hug. Naruto clung to him as they made their way up to his father's office.

They made the short trip in silence, the atmosphere thick with the grim awareness of what they were about to do. They all knew, of course, that fixing things was what was necessary and what they would have ultimately had to do even if they had been given more time, but that didn't make it any easier.

Naruto knew that he couldn't be selfish any longer, and he finally pulled away from his father to give the 'proper good-bye' he'd promised Sasuke. Even though neither of them was going to lose anybody, even if they were both going to get back who they'd lost originally, Naruto knew that a part of him would still miss this Sasuke.

It was this Sasuke, after all, who had shown him the possibilities of what he might have with _his_ Sasuke, as well as showing him other things they would eventually be doing, if Naruto had anything to say about it. He supposed he'd have to tell his Sasuke about all the things he'd done with _this_ Sasuke, but not until he had to.

His father shut the door behind them and Naruto approached Sasuke, his hands sifting through dark bangs before coming to rest on a pale cheek.

"I told you that I'd be back," Naruto said with a faint grin. Tanned fingers stroked Sasuke's cheek absently. "I wanted to give you a good-bye from me."

Sasuke nodded, dark eyes serious. He allowed his hands to rest loosely against Naruto's hips, gently drawing Naruto closer. Naruto swallowed and, ignoring the fact that his father was only a few feet away, leaned in and pressed his mouth to Sasuke's. He sighed as Sasuke's warm breath heated his lips. His other hand slid into Sasuke's hair before cupping the back of his head.

For either him or Sasuke, it wasn't going to be the same, and having a glimpse of what his love could have turned out to be, to know and understand—

In this Naruto, Sasuke saw someone who understood the pain and loneliness of never having had anyone and when the other Naruto returned, Sasuke would be able to still keep a little of that. With this Sasuke, Naruto knew what it was like to be loved and to be touched with love, to have someone desire him in that way. And to show him that it was possible when he went back home.

Naruto slid his mouth from Sasuke's and pulled Sasuke close, gripping him tightly in his embrace. He pressed his face into Sasuke's neck, kissing the skin there. He felt Sasuke do the same.

Then he strengthened himself and pushed away, his hands falling from Sasuke's body. He nodded once, firmly.

Sasuke took a few steps back to give Naruto room. Naruto turned to his father, saw the man's tender gaze, and couldn't help rushing into his father's arms for a last hug. He felt the tears prick the corners of his eyes and he took a shuddering breath.

"I'll miss you," he said softly. "And I promise that I won't forget you. I'll hound everyone for information about you, especially Ero-sennin and the problem child you must have been." He felt the laughter from his father and he gave a tremulous smile as he pulled away. "I guess this is it."

The Yondaime nodded, letting bare the emotions he had to, as the Hokage, keep in check. He gave Naruto's hair one last affectionate ruffle and stepped back, far enough so he wouldn't interfere with the jutsu.

Naruto stiffened his back and faced Sasuke, nodding to let Sasuke know he was ready. He let his gaze fall on his father, afraid to blink in case he missed even a second of his last chance to look into his father's face.

"Are you certain you're ready?" Sasuke asked. Naruto gave an impatient nod.

"Yes. Just.. just do it now, Sasuke. Before I change my mind." His faint smile said that he wouldn't, but some part of him wondered.

Sasuke nodded and his hands formed the deliberate seals. Naruto kept his eyes on his father, even when he half heard the words of the jutsu. He felt his eyes water, both from his refusal to blink and from the realization that his father was fading. He had the insane urge to run to him and cling to his flickering visage.

But a moment later, he felt a sharp twist in his gut as the Kyuubi lashed out against the jutsu and his world went black.


	16. Chapter 16

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist. **  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.

**Chapter 16**

When he next opened his eyes, he was staring up at the ceiling of his apartment, alone. From his angle, he didn't see anyone else in the room and he let out a soft sigh, part of him wondering if it had all been a crazy dream.

He shifted his shoulder and recognized the lumpy feel of the mattress of his twin-sized bed. He snorted softly and closed his eyes, turning onto his side and burying his face in the pillows to absorb the inevitable result of the stinging in his eyes that he couldn't seem to keep at bay. Life seemed to like playing him for the fool and it wouldn't be at all a shock if it had indeed been nothing more than a dream, woven from the longings of his unconsciousness, things he wouldn't admit to when awake.

"So you're finally conscious." A voice nearby startled him out of his self pity and he jerked his gaze around, settling on Sasuke, who came into view. "And I know it's you, idiot."

Naruto's eyes fixed on the dark-haired ninja slouched into one of the kitchen chairs beside his bed. "Sasuke?" he asked tentatively, swatting irritably at the dampness in his eyes.

Sasuke gave Naruto a flat stare. "No, Konohamaru."

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed into a glare, unamused. "What are you doing here? What am I doing here?"

Sasuke frowned. "What, did the jutsu give you amnesia?"

Naruto opened his mouth, faltered and then tried again. "I... I just want to make sure that things are the way they're supposed to be," he muttered huffily, one hand going to his head as a sudden spike of pain drove through it. "Ugh."

"You passed out after I performed the jutsu. We were going to put you in the hospital, but then Hokage-sama thought it'd be a better idea for you to wake up in your apartment."

Naruto stared up his ceiling, brows drawn into a vague frown.

"What do you remember?" Sasuke asked, still irritatingly unreadable.

Naruto pushed himself up to rest his head against the headboard. He looked down at his lap, ignoring the pulsing behind his eyes and recalled everything that had happened the past several days. "Everything," he murmured. "It wasn't a dream then?"

Sasuke's expression finally broke into what might have been interpreted as mild concern.  
"What do you think was a dream, Naruto?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest and staring down at Naruto. "You have to recall that _I_ only know how weird you were acting, but I assure you that you were wide awake the past few days and not dreaming."

"Just tell me I wasn't dreaming that the Yondaime is my father," he said, congratulating himself at how steady his voice sounded.

"Well, I can't tell you that for certain but the other you certainly believed it," Sasuke said, surprisingly patient with Naruto's behavior.

Naruto released his breath with a heavy sigh and finally looked at Sasuke. "So it worked then?"

"Well, we hurried things because of what was happening to you so...has it stopped?"

Naruto closed his eyes and strained for the earliest memory he had of his father... which was the one where he'd first awoken in the other world and the blond-haired man had appeared at his bedroom door. And yet, just there at the corner of his mind were further, if vague, images of the Yondaime. They were too hazy to make out, but the residue of the other Naruto's memories lingered in his mind. He gave a small smile at that.

"Yeah, it's stopped," he said carefully, one hand rubbing his temples as he sat up more fully. His smile grew strained as he remembered the promise he'd made to his father. He realized now just how painful it would be to keep constant reminders that his father was dead, and out of his reach. "I guess everything's going to go back to normal now."

Sasuke decided that it was rather aggravating when Naruto, who knew Sasuke could see through his guises, still chose to rely on pretenses that might have convinced anyone who wasn't Naruto's closest friend.

"Nothing will ever be normal again, Naruto."

Naruto's gaze sharpened on Sasuke.

Sasuke hated having to voice things Naruto already knew. It was simply the fact of having to force Naruto to acknowledge them. His lip curled as he said, "You've known your father and we're..." He shrugged, trusting Naruto to interpret the gesture. "Like when I came back from Sound; we can't just pretend it never happened."

Naruto sat up straighter, pushing the blankets off and shaking his head carefully. "Things are going to go back to normal," he repeated slowly, standing up and glaring at his friend. "Except for us, we're going to change. I'll kick your ass if you decide to go out with Sakura or Ino or _anyone_ else." Narrowed blue eyes promised severe retribution if Sasuke changed his feelings now. "But everything else will have to go back to before. My father is dead and there's nothing I can do to change that. No one knows that he's my father, except for some close-mouthed teachers that will be hard put to admit it out loud."

"Stop being such an idiot, Naruto. You'll just have to make them admit it. You know now. There's no reason why they should keep it from you anymore," Sasuke said, choosing not to reply to Naruto's first comment. It was, he thought rather absently, something that went without saying.

Naruto barely heard Sasuke's words as he flexed his vaguely aching arms and left his bedroom. His steps faltered when he noticed a slightly crinkled slip of paper resting beside the sofa. The letter. Solid proof that his father really did exist somewhere where Naruto couldn't reach him.

He sat heavily on his couch, absently noting the broken springs that the other him had pointed out, and picked up the letter again with a faint smile. "Figures I'd yell at myself for the couch," he said absently, not acknowledging what Sasuke had said about getting certain people to admit the truth. He knew the truth, and at least in one world he knew he had a father that loved him and cared for him. What was the use agonizing over it now?

"Idiot." Sasuke came up behind him. "Why don't you get a new couch? And where the hell did you get this one? I tried sleeping on it last night."

"What the hell were you doing trying to sleep on this? You should know by now it's impossible," Naruto said, momentarily distracted.

"You, the other you, claimed the bed and I didn't exactly feel like sharing with him." Sasuke sank, carefully, into the broken cushions beside him. His lip curled again as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Did you not say good-bye properly?" he asked, unable to grasp what was really bothering Naruto.

Naruto blinked and tried to wake his fuzzy brain up as he stared at Sasuke. "What are you talking about?" he asked crossly. "I said good-bye to my father and to Sasuke. It's hard to make up for a lifetime of not having anyone, but I wanted to come back here." There was a faint blush on his cheeks. "To you, dimwit."

"Then why are you acting like you just got passed over for Hokage?" Sasuke asked, voice marginally softer after Naruto's flush-faced admission.

"What am I supposed to do, Sasuke? My father wouldn't have wanted me to mourn his loss and I can't do that unless I pretend nothing, except us, has changed." Naruto gave the letter a lingering look.

"Your father wouldn't have wanted you to do that either. At least I would think he didn't," Sasuke said. "Things are different now, Naruto, but it's not a _bad_ kind of different."

Naruto sighed and slumped further into his seat. "If I let myself chase my father's shadow here, I won't ever know how to be normal again."

Sasuke shook his head at that. "You're not chasing his shadow, you're not mourning him; you're honoring his memory and learning about who your father was as a person." He eyed Naruto's look and resisted the urge to smack his stubborn friend upside his head. "Why do you want to pretend like nothing ever happened? You were given a rare chance, idiot."

Naruto thrust his bottom lip out, knowing Sasuke was right, but unwilling to give up his argument just yet. It would be hard. The village would scorn him unless someone higher up confirmed that he was in fact the Yondaime's son. Naruto had always fought for others, for their safety, their approval, their acknowledgment. This time, he thought with a bud of realization, he would do it for himself.

He schooled his face so that Sasuke wouldn't know what he was thinking. "Things are different," he said carefully. "But, I guess with time, the difference fades and we create a new kind of normal."

Sasuke allowed himself a half-smile. "Figures you'd phrase it like that," he muttered, and then winced when a broken spring jabbed painfully into his back. "That's it. I'm getting you a new couch."

Naruto couldn't help a brief dig. "What, I don't get to move in with you yet?"

He had the rare pleasure of seeing Sasuke's face turn pink.

Naruto shoved him playfully, a small laugh escaping before he could shut his mouth. "I was joking, Sasuke. I like my apartment."

Sasuke, straightening and trying to look as haughty as possible as the color slowly faded from his face, said stiffly, "What's wrong with my house?"

Naruto frowned, puzzled. "Nothing. It's just...I know you're not ready for that yet."

"Who says I'm not ready?" Sasuke, if possible, became even stiffer.

Naruto stood up and gave him a look that was half confusion, half disgust. "Don't go trying to act all different just because you were different in another reality. I'd like to get closer, Sasuke." His voice trailed off for a moment as he looked away. "But I don't want to push you. The both of us have lived alone for too long to suddenly jump into becoming roommates now."

Sasuke's dark eyes grew flat. "I'm just saying, don't assume what I am and am not ready for. _I'll_ tell you whether or not I want to do something."

Naruto's expression decided disgust would win over curiosity at the moment. "Fine then. Tell me you aren't ready to move in together!"

Sasuke glared at him for telling him what to do before saying rather coolly, "Some time in the near future, I think it would be an interesting challenge to live together."

"An interesting challenge?" Naruto's eyebrows rose and the argument made him momentarily forget his headache, the normalcy of his and Sasuke's bickering lending a solid feel. "What are you going to tell everyone? Or are you just going to jump..." He grimaced and then grinned widely at his own words. "Heh, even I can't see you jumping into this. It'd break your spine to be spontaneous."

If Sasuke got any stiffer, he'd snap in half. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Being spontaneous is not a mark of a good ninja. Being reliable is," Sasuke said.

"I'm not talking about ninja abilities, Sasuke. I'm just talking about you." Naruto felt like smacking that dark head if only to get Sasuke to pounce on him and stop looking like a broomstick had been shoved up his ass.

Sasuke, meanwhile, was left to wonder about himself just as a man and not as a ninja. It was difficult, if not altogether impossible, to separate the two.

Naruto sighed and gave Sasuke a tired smile. "Look, we're human beings, Sasuke. I know that we're supposed to be tools, mindless dolls--but we're not. If we were, I would have died all those years ago on the bridge when Haku had us trapped. You would have never..." He paused and winced. "Well, look at all the relationships and hopes and dreams that go on, even if we're ninjas. My dream is still to become the Hokage, but you have to understand people to do that. I never knew that before."

"Don't preach to me, Naruto. I'm perfectly capable of coming to my own conclusions," Sasuke said, sounding cross although his shoulders had relaxed a little.

"Then what is your conclusion?" Naruto asked, exasperated.

"Are you alright now?" he asked flatly.

Naruto blinked, caught off guard by the question. He looked around his apartment, still feeling the sharp loss of his father, but warmed now by Sasuke's familiar presence and a renewed promise to himself that he would honor his father's memory instead of forgetting it. "Um, yeah. I think."

Sasuke's shoulders relaxed completely. "Good. My conclusion is that spontaneity may be useful in some cases." With that said, he shoved off the horrid couch and planted a firm kiss on Naruto's mouth.

Now _Naruto_ relaxed, automatically leaning into the kiss and one hand going behind Sasuke's head to pull him in closer. "About time, bastard," he murmured against Sasuke's lips.

Pale hands reached around Naruto's body and he felt the smirk against his lips as Sasuke squeezed Naruto's rear firmly.

Naruto made a small noise of surprise, reflexively tightening the muscles in his buttocks. Sasuke deepened the kiss, tongue pushing into Naruto's mouth as he slid his hands to Naruto's hips and pressed into Naruto's body.

Sasuke had spent the better part of the night and the morning after thinking about the intimacy with Naruto he had willingly been a participant of. It was new and it was different, but as they'd already established, sometimes different wasn't bad. And of course, now that he'd had time to think about it, he was taking control, using his instincts and taking advantage of what he could make Naruto do. It was only fair to learn about what he could do with his one-time rival.

Naruto seemed completely agreeable, glazed blue eyes shutting as his hands slid into mussed black hair.

Sasuke felt Naruto push him back towards the couch and thought, _I don't think so. Not again._ He pulled away, grasped Naruto's hand and tugged the compliant man toward the bedroom.

"Sasuke," Naruto began. He was cut off when Sasuke pushed him onto the bed and crawled over him, mouth finding Naruto's again. Naruto, who couldn't remember what he was going to say, moaned softly as Sasuke settled his weight on top of him. "Don't want springs digging into your ass?" he managed to joke, but the laughter turned into a drawn out moan as nimble hands slid under the shirt he had slept in.

"Shut up, dead last." Sasuke murmured against his throat, tongue running along the sensitive skin.

"Why do you still call me that, Sasuke?" Naruto breathed, arching his neck under Sasuke's mouth. There was nothing but curiosity in the breathy question, which was the only reason why Sasuke answered.

"Because you're not one anymore," he said, voice low as his fingers danced along Naruto's sides, muscles flexing under the light touch.

A crease formed between Naruto's brows and he struggled to maintain his train of thought. "That's a stupid reason."

"Just think of it as my way of reminding you of what you've become since the academy," Sasuke said irritably.

Naruto shook his head as he pulled Sasuke closer, eyes half shut as he let Sasuke take control, his body relaxing and letting it happen this time. There was no guilt, there was only the desire to see what _this_ Sasuke, _his_ Sasuke could do and would do to him.

Sasuke let Naruto tug his shirt over his head before assisting Naruto with the same. Sasuke covered Naruto's mouth again, kissing hungrily and sloppily, tongues probing and lapping at any accessible skin. He supported his weight with one hand and rose just enough for his other hand to find the front of Naruto's pants. He had never been gladder that the standard ninja uniform had elastic waistbands. Not having to deal with buttons or zippers, he pushed Naruto's pants down, Naruto lifting his hips to aid him.

Naruto didn't question that this was happening, even though some part of his brain was trying to wrap around the concept that his hands were tugging down Sasuke's pants, Sasuke's hands were trailing down his thighs, their lips were pressed together, tongues mapping out the other's mouths. Really, all that mattered was that Sasuke was there, solid, real, wanting _him_, Naruto.

His hands slid from Sasuke's hair, lingering on those pale cheeks. Sasuke broke from Naruto's mouth and turned his face to take two of Naruto's fingers between lips now pleasantly red, wet, and soft. Naruto groaned arching upward as Sasuke's tongue wrapped his fingers in warm wetness.

Naruto had to wonder how Sasuke knew how to make him feel so hot, like all of his skin was burning up. It was Sasuke touching him and wanting him like this. _The bastard has to be good at everything_, he thought absently as that talented tongue wound around his fingers, giving a preview of what could come next.

"Sasuke," Naruto groaned as his fingers were released with a knowing smirk. Blue eyes, misty with lust and need, watched as Sasuke licked a wet stripe down his chest, dipping briefly into Naruto's belly button before completely bypassing the weeping cock bobbing for attention between Naruto's legs.

Naruto made a small impatient sound as Sasuke's hands stroked up Naruto's inner thighs, thumbs teasing along the skin just below Naruto's balls.

"Sa—suke," Naruto groaned, trying to arch into Sasuke's mouth, beyond the point of embarrassment.

Sasuke's thumbs continued their teasing massage as he pressed his mouth to Naruto's inner thigh and sucked hard at the skin there. He brushed his teeth and tongue over the small bit of skin, lips working at it until he lifted his head with a satisfied smirk at the angry red mark he'd made.

"God damn it," Naruto muttered, sounding savage if somewhat breathless, as he tweaked Sasuke's nipples before latching onto dark hair and shoving the man's face between his legs.

Sasuke had few options. It was either get slapped in the face by Naruto's erection or open his mouth. He opened his mouth.

And Naruto realized that for all that Sasuke hadn't been with anyone, he certainly learned fast. _Unless he practiced with the other me, and I don't see that happening_. He gave a long, drawn out moan as clever hands trailed along the sensitive skin of his balls, and lips moved along his length, causing him to arch up into the firm grip Sasuke had on his hips.

Naruto's fingers tightened in Sasuke's hair, almost tearing out a strand or two, but Sasuke didn't seem to mind. His tongue flattened against the underside of Naruto's cock and he licked the length. Naruto shuddered beneath him, keeping himself from coming right there and then. Sasuke's hand moved to gently massage Naruto's balls before slipping lower, fingers teasing at the skin there, circling Naruto's entrance but never going further. His other hand still gripped Naruto's hip, thumb rubbing mindless circles in the hollow.

Naruto bit his lip hard as he pressed downward, asking, demanding, that Sasuke touch him, invade him, claim him; and if he didn't Naruto would flip them over and do it himself. Sasuke, on the other hand, was quite enjoying himself and the sounds that Naruto was making for him. With each touch, each stroke of his tongue, he had Naruto writhing beneath him, and he wanted to prolong the torture as much as he could possibly stand it.

He panted against Naruto's skin, his own cock hard and pressed against Naruto's thigh. _Fuck it,_ he thought harshly.

"Naruto, something to..." He nipped at Naruto's thigh, as if that would make the message any clearer. He wasn't just going to shove into Naruto, and even being inexperienced, he knew they needed _something_ to smooth the way.

Naruto began to look around frantically, searching for something to substitute as lube before he fully processed what it was he was looking for, and the purpose it would serve. His already rock-hard length jerked in anticipation, but his mind balked.

"Er, Sasuke?" Naruto panted, trying to regulate his breathing. He gasped when Sasuke's finger pressed against him, rotating and circling gently to ease the tension there. "Sasuke!" he yelped, more forcefully.

Sasuke paused and growled at Naruto, eyes narrowed. "What is it?" he murmured, trying to resist the temptation to snap. His fingers trailed more purposely down Naruto's length. "Don't you want this, Naruto?" Naruto's breathing was short and choppy. He wanted it.

"It's not that I don't." He paused and groaned. "But isn't it a bit...fast?" He gasped as one long finger pushed a little inside.

It was at that moment, when Naruto almost gave in, that there was loud knocking at his front door.

Both men stiffened. Then Sasuke resolutely pushed his finger a little further, Naruto whimpering with need. Naruto didn't mind the fingering; in fact, he wanted it; but he wasn't so certain he was ready to go as far as Sasuke seemingly wanted to. The other Naruto had been so right; once Sasuke got over himself, he _really_ got going.

"Sasuke," Naruto managed to gasp as the knocking continued.

"Ignore it," Sasuke said through clenched teeth before closing his mouth over Naruto's length again.

Naruto moaned and arched into Sasuke's warm mouth, trying not to give in all the way, but his resolve was slowly breaking down. He wanted it so badly, needed this and Sasuke and it just felt so damn _good_ that it was hard to say no.

The knocking was starting to get on his nerves though, a relentless "I'm not going to leave until you open this door" type, and he fuzzily wondered who wanted to talk to him that badly.

Sasuke's finger slipped in all the way.

"Nnnn." Naruto's muscles clenched around that single hard digit. Sasuke rotated his wrist, still working at relaxing the muscles before he pulled his hand back just enough to push a second finger in. His cock was almost painfully hard now, imagining that tight warmth squeezing around him.

"Damnit, you guys, I know you're there! I can sense your chakra!" Sakura's voice rang clearly through

Naruto gasped and arched against Sasuke more fully, eyes squeezed shut and tears gathering at the corners from the dry tightness of it all. "She... has to go... away," he managed to get out. "Sa...Sasuke.." He wasn't even bothered by the way his voice broke, the almost pleading quality that tinged Sasuke's name.

Screw his inhibitions, he thought. Sasuke wanted it and even though he hadn't expected it so soon in their relationship, Sasuke was doing a damn good job of convincing him it was the right step the take. He hissed, in pain and pleasure, as Sasuke thrust a little harder.

"Lick your fingers," Naruto mumbled.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow but complied, his fingers slipping free of Naruto's body.

Naruto cracked open an eye, almost coming at the sight of Sasuke sucking delicately on his own fingers, the same fingers that had just been knuckle-deep inside of him.

"If you two don't open this door in 10 seconds, I'm knocking it down!"

Sasuke flashed a glare in the direction of the front door. "Make her go away," Sasuke ordered, moving his fingers back to Naruto's entrance, one hand stroking his shaft gently. "You don't want her to come in on this, do you?" he murmured, his dark eyes glinting with humor.

Naruto groaned and shook his head, the feeling intensifying and he prayed that he could keep his voice somewhat steady.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, I'm... busy..." He had a hard time not gasping it out.

"Hokage-sama asked that I check in on you to see if you're awake, and seeing as you are, I need to make sure you aren't suffering any side effects from getting hit with that jutsu a second time. Open this door right now, Naruto!"

"Nnnn...I'm..." Sasuke's fingers curled inside him, brushing over a spot that made him arch almost completely off the bed, "..._fine_," he shouted, voice an octave higher than normal.

Sasuke smirked and did it again.

"You don't sound fine, you thick-headed, stubborn imbecile!" Sakura's voice rang out clearly through the apartment door and Naruto wanted to shout at her for her own stubbornness.

"I'm busy, damn it!" he shouted back, barely getting the words out around the whimpers building up in his throat.

"That's right, Naruto," Sasuke murmured into his ear. "You're very busy, aren't you?"

Naruto turned and bit Sasuke's bottom lip. Now that Sasuke was no longer out of reach, his hand immediately found the hardness still cushioned in Sasuke's pants. He tugged impatiently at the hem.

"Ten!" Sakura's voice interrupted. "Nine!"

"I'll let you in later, I swear," Naruto gritted out, thighs quivering as Sasuke's fingers worked his entrance while his hips thrust his straining cock into Naruto's hand at the same time. Naruto's head fell back on the pillow as his hands rapidly moved over Sasuke's erection, his mouth dry as Sasuke's own hands and fingers worked with unexpected talent within him and over him. "Sa...sa--" His words choked in his throat.

Sasuke panted, mouth reaching out for Naruto's again and ignoring the countdown outside the apartment.

"Fuck," Naruto gasped, growing nervous. "She really will break down the door just to spite us."

"Focus, Naruto," Sasuke hissed, letting his head fall into the crook of Naruto's neck, breathing deep of musk and sweat. He licked absently at the skin there.

"Six!" Sakura continued, sounding angrier with every word.

"Next time, Sasuke," Naruto gasped. He didn't care about how fast they were moving anymore; he wanted Sasuke buried hilt-deep inside of him, wanted something thicker and more filling than Sasuke's fingers, but his panic at having Sakura walk in on her two former teammates practically screwing was just the incentive for him to recover enough of his good sense to be willing to wait for next time.

Sasuke hissed and increased his movements. "If we wait until next time, moron, you're going to do whatever I want," he grunted against Naruto's neck, biting down harshly. "But you're going to finish here or you'll have to explain to Sakura why her two old teammates are sporting erections."

"Fuck yes, I'm finishing," Naruto nearly snarled. The thought of not finishing hadn't even occurred to him. His one hand slipped into Sasuke's pants to better grasp the hard length. His hand pumped furiously, guiding Sasuke toward completion, which neither of them were very far from, as he ground down against those probing fingers.

"Four!"

"Yes," Naruto panted, as he felt that burning rise up in his gut. He felt that almost-familiar white hot feeling building up inside of him, straining at his pores and only because his mind was still functioning on the basic survival method of not having Sakura hear them, did he manage to keep silent as he ground as hard as he could against Sasuke's fingers and came hard.

Sasuke gave an answering grunt against his hand and a hot, sticky liquid splashed against his fingers. He collapsed on his bed, panting softly.

"Two!" Sakura sounded like she was going to skip one and just make her way inside.

"Damn it," Naruto muttered, limbs protesting as he pressed a hasty kiss to Sasuke's sweat-dampened shoulder and shoved himself off the bed, dragging Sasuke with him to the bathroom.

"One!"


	17. Chapter 17

**Title: **Parallels**  
Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist. This is the FINAL chapter of this story.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.**  
**

**Chapter 17**

Naruto slammed the bathroom door shut just as his front door burst open, banging loudly and (Naruto winced) splintering against the wall.

"Where are you guys?" Sakura asked, looking around the empty living room.

Naruto could practically feel her eyes boring through the door of the bathroom and he shoved Sasuke into the shower stall, his hands gripping the edge of the sink to hide their shaking.

"Turn the shower on," he hissed.

Sasuke gave Naruto an exasperated look, not at all concerned about Sakura discovering that they'd just advanced their relationship. She'd have to find out eventually, after all. Still, he turned the shower on to placate Naruto.

Naruto pushed him over as he joined him in the shower. Sasuke grumbled something about his boxers being ruined, but quickly set about cleaning himself, ignoring the interested twitch of his cock as he caught a healthy glimpse of Naruto's butt before turning away.

"Oh, you're in the shower," Naruto heard Sakura say and he gave a relieved sigh against Sasuke, hands absently smoothing soap over his chest. "Are you _both _in there? I think I'll just wait out here."

Naruto resisted the urge to thunk his head.

They cleaned up, both sneaking glances of each other as they threw Naruto's only two towels around their waists. Naruto nodded to Sasuke before opening the bathroom door.

Sasuke slipped past him into the bedroom without alerting Sakura. He was a top ninja, after all. Naruto, meanwhile, stepped into the living room to greet their former teammate.

"Sakura! Hey. Sorry about not letting you in," he said, leaning against the wall.

Sakura gave his towel a distracted glance before smiling. "Sorry I was so impatient. I thought you were trying to get rid of me."

"No, no." Naruto gave her a warm smile, eyes brightening. "I haven't really seen you for awhile, you know? I just had to get rid of this headache that I've had all morning. I know that you came over 'cause you couldn't stand being away from me for so long. I _am_ irresistible, you know."

Sakura laughed, although not in derision. Her green eyes sparkled with mirth.

Naruto made a face. "It's not _that_ funny, Sakura-chan."

Sakura covered her mouth, giggles escaping through her fingers. "I'm sorry, Naruto. You're right, it's not." She eyed his towel more pointedly. "You _can_ be irresistible." And then she did a 180 and fixed him with a scowl, fists propped on her hips. "Although you could have just _told_ me you were in the shower instead of letting me worry and making me force my way in."

Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I'll just, uh, get dressed."

"Where's Sasuke-kun?" she asked, anger visibly fading away as she gave Naruto a searching, if confused, look. "Was he in there with you?"

The bedroom door opened then and Sasuke emerged, fully clothed. "I was in the bedroom changing. Go get dressed, Naruto." Sasuke's expression didn't give anything away. "I'll update Sakura on what's been going on."

Naruto gave him a grateful look and nodded, slipping into his room and immediately noticing the musky smell. His knees nearly gave out as he realized how close they had come to being discovered.

He knew Sakura would have to know eventually, but letting her walk in on them, while Sasuke's fingers were still buried in his ass, would have been a rather poor way of telling her. He didn't know how she'd take it, but he was at least reassured by the fact that this Sakura had moved past her childhood crush on Sasuke.

He dug into his closet, finding his only pair of dark boxers missing—probably swiped by Sasuke since his had been temporarily ruined. He smirked as he realized who exactly was responsible for that. He had brought Sasuke to completion, twice now, with only his hands.

He dressed hastily and, running a hand through still damp hair, walked back into the living room, where Sasuke and Sakura were having a mostly one-way conversation. Sasuke, having said his piece about the morning events, had little else to say.

Sakura looked up and patted the seat beside her, smiling cheerfully. "I need to look you over. Hokage-sama wants to make sure you're back to normal."

Naruto gave Sasuke a lopsided grin at Sakura's word choice before settling in beside her. He watched her face, still very pretty and yet not nearly as enticing as dark, penetrating eyes and a strong masculine jaw.

She blushed under his scrutiny as she lifted her hands to his face, fingertips warm with chakra. He remembered the last time Sakura had done this to him—not this Sakura, but another one, examining him to make sure that everything was in working order.

"I was really mad, you know," she suddenly said, scowling once again at him before glancing at Sasuke as well. "Neither of you told me what was going on. Hokage-sama had to fill me in yesterday." Naruto opened his mouth to speak when she did another 180 and shook her head slowly, her green eyes softening. "Although I guess I wasn't really surprised. I've always kind of been the third wheel."

Behind her, Sasuke frowned, his lips parting as if he wanted to say something. Naruto shook his head vehemently. "No, you weren't, Sakura-chan. You were always an important—"

"Naruto, stay still," she said, cutting him off.

"Sakura—"

"It's ok, Naruto," she said, not meeting his eyes. "I forgive you both."

Naruto's lip jutted into a pout but Sakura ignored him. She closed her eyes in concentration.

Sighing, Naruto took the opportunity to move his gaze over to Sasuke, trying to lighten the mood by making sure he was _very_ obvious in the way he looked the dark-haired boy over.

Sasuke smirked and leaned back against the armrest at his lower back, letting his head fall back casually, exposing the graceful column of his neck to Naruto's eager eyes.

Naruto mouthed, 'Tease' as blue eyes bore into Sasuke, promises swimming in their depths. Sasuke smirked just as Sakura's hands fell back to her sides and her eyes opened.

Naruto fixed an innocently curious expression on his face. "So? Everything alright," he asked.

She nodded and patted his hand. "Nothing more than the usual few brains rattling around in there," she said cheerfully. "I'll report to Hokage-sama and let you get caught up on your rest or what have you, but Hokage-sama is expecting you later today to give a full report."

Naruto nodded. "I'll be in after I eat something. I haven't eaten since this morning." His father had made them breakfast. He smiled broadly, but the corners of his lips were strained, weighed down by the lingering sadness that he knew would never really leave him. He wished again that he could have somehow kept that picture of him and his father.

"Well, drop by my place if you want, ok? I'm cooking tonight," she said with a wink. "It'll be nice to catch up."

Sasuke sensed Naruto's change of mood, but made no move towards him until after Sakura left.

He sat carefully beside Naruto, letting their sides touch. He wasn't going to pretend that he was good at offering comfort. He really would have rather avoided it all together, but Naruto probably wouldn't respond very well to a cold shoulder.

"I think I'll eat later," Naruto said. "I just want to talk to the old hag and get the interrogation over with." He fidgeted, hesitated and finally leaned over to kiss Sasuke lightly. "We'll, uh, finish... what we started."

Sasuke's eyes softened although his expression didn't change. "Yes," he said simply. "We will."

Naruto fidgeted a bit before moving to stand. Sasuke sighed and reached out to touch Naruto's face. Naruto froze.

He leaned close to Naruto's face, breath warming a whiskered cheek. "What are you so nervous about, Naruto? Have we ever been uncomfortable with each other before?"

Naruto was about to say how different this was, but it wasn't that different, really. It was just another level of trust, another way of understanding one another and accepting each other.

"I'm not going to have you thinking I'm some weak kind of girl or something," Naruto grumbled.

"You stopped having to convince me of that a long time ago, Naruto," Sasuke said softly, if a little reluctantly. He rolled his eyes, trying not to tense his muscles, and let Naruto hug him.

When Naruto pulled back, his grin was genuine. "See you later, Sasuke."

Sasuke snorted and waved him off. "Get lost, idiot. You don't want to worry Hokage-sama anymore than you already do."

Naruto made a face at him, but he kept smiling the entire way to the Hokage tower.

The Hokage's office door was open and Shizune was seated at a small sofa against the right wall, rubbing her eyes and paging through a thick book. She looked up at the sound of Naruto's footsteps.

"Naruto! How have you been? Can I help you with something?" she asked, making to stand.

"No, no, I'm fine. Don't trouble yourself. I was looking for the Godaime," he said.

"Ah," she said, retaking her seat. "Sakura was just here and they went for a drink. She should be back soon." Naruto held back his laughter when she muttered, "She better be anyway."

Naruto sat beside her, making himself comfortable. "Looks difficult," he noted. At the look she tossed his way, he held up his hands and grinned. "I was going to offer to look it over with you—ya know, pass the time until the old hag gets back."

"What's that, brat?"

Naruto grinned as Tsunade entered; Shizune looked relieved.

"You wanted to see me," he said, standing and following her to her desk.

"Yes. Shizune."

The Hokage didn't have to say more. Shizune understood and, heaving her huge book in her arms, left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Sit," she said, as she did the same.

Naruto wished she would just get to the point of their meeting.

Tsunade wasn't one to banter around words; she just stared at him hard. "Everything back to normal?" she asked bluntly. "No side effects?"

Naruto shrugged and smiled faintly. "None that I need to worry about. I know who I am, I've got all my memories in order, and I know who my father was." Here he paused and arched an eyebrow in her direction, indirectly asking why she never told him. "And things will go back to normal."

The Godaime nodded, although her expression said she was not fully satisfied. "Are you alright?" she asked, voice noticeably softer.

Naruto's smile broadened. "Yeah. I'm ok. Except we're going to have to sit down for dinner some day very soon and you're going to tell me everything you know about my father."

Tsunade's fine blonde eyebrows rose. "Am I?" she asked, sounding amused.

Naruto's expression didn't hold the same amusement. "Yeah, we are," he said, eyes meeting hers directly. "It's not like you have to keep it a secret anymore, and I'm sure you'd love to downtalk him or whatever, but..." His expression slipped a bit into pleading. "Tsunade-baachan. I need to know."

She continued to watch him, her expression one of contemplation. She finally nodded. "Alright. I'll send you a message the next time I have an evening free."

Naruto smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"Well, if you're certain you're alright?"

"I am. Sasuke is helping." Naruto congratulated himself for keeping the blush at bay.

Tsunade smirked anyway.

Naruto blustered through, making sure the blush didn't make an appearance. "Sasuke sort of kept me grounded in both worlds and things are better with him now." He gave a faint shrug. "Oh, and I have a bet for you, baa-chan."

Tsunade sat back in her chair and crossed her arms underneath her ample chest. "What kind of bet?"

"My father showed me how to do his flicker jutsu." At this, Tsunade's brows rose again, this time in surprise. Naruto continued. "So the bet is that I can master that jutsu in..." He looked thoughtful. "How long did you give me for Rasengan? I bet I could master the flicker technique in that time. Prize is that you formally consider me for Hokage. I know you've been informally training me."

Tsunade looked taken aback, surprised at his audacity. Naruto's smile grew strained when Tsunade failed to respond.

Finally, she said, "You've got a lot of nerve, brat." She narrowed her eyes and leaned over her desk. Naruto almost shrank away. "But," she said with a twinkle in her eyes, "if you master it in a week, I will acknowledge that you're worthy of my training."

Naruto, his enthusiasm renewed, beamed. "And formally announce me as your successor."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I'll train you, but whether or not you take the position is yet to be seen."

Naruto sat up in the chair and leaned over to give Tsunade a tight hug. "You won't regret this, baa-chan!" He felt like cheering and his grin widened even further.

Tsunade waved him away impatiently. "Alright, get out of here. You'll need the time to train."

Naruto chuckled a little madly as he turned and bounded from the room, entirely missing Tsunade's fond—and rather proud—expression.

Naruto's mind was now narrowly focused on practicing his father's technique. Without a thought for food or the man waiting for him back at his apartment, he headed directly for the training grounds.

***

Sasuke sighed and tapped his fingers on the table, waiting for the old pervert to appear. It had taken him the better part of the day to find the old man, and now he wasn't even showing up?

"You're one persistent brat." Sasuke's head turned at the sound of the voice. "Nagging me and following me around, interrupting my research."

Sasuke resisted the urge to make a scathing comment about the nature of Jiraiya's "research"—and only because he still needed the old man's cooperation.

"Well? Do you have it?" he asked impatiently.

Jiraiya reached into his shirt and pulled something out. He glanced down at the object in his hand, a strange look in his eyes.

Sasuke almost felt guilty for taking away what obviously meant something to him. But then Jiraiya looked up with a careless expression and flicked the small photograph onto the table.

Sasuke's eyes widened briefly as he looked at the photo, then back at Jiraiya. "Huh. They really do look alike," he said, half to himself. There was a sincere expression in his eyes as he met Jiraiya's. "Thank you. This will mean a great deal to him." Now he let a bit of scorn into his voice. "Since he finally knows who his father was."

Jiraiya was not about to argue with the Uchiha brat, so he lifted his head with an expression of indifference and said, "Watch who you're talking to like that, brat. Do what you want with the picture."

Then he turned with a swish of his long white hair and hopped back out the window.

Sasuke frowned at the old man's back until he disappeared. Then he reached out and touched the photo.

It was of the Yondaime when he was about Naruto's present age with a more carefree expression than the one he'd had in his 'official' Hokage photo. There was a wide grin on his face that was strongly reminiscent of Naruto's. The only difference, really, was the lack of whisker marks.

"Really, Naruto, you owe me for this," he muttered to himself, but there was a smile on his face.

He took it with him back to the sofa where he'd been sitting before he'd moved to the table to wait for Naruto's ex-sensei. He'd stopped at his house earlier to find an unused picture frame. He picked up the plain wood frame and sat down as he fixed the photo into place.

Finished, he set the image on the table where it could be easily seen and crossed his arms, standing back to survey his work with a pleased smile.

After most of the day had passed and Naruto had yet to make an appearance, Sasuke was forced to go out and look for him, eventually tracking the idiot down to the training field. Sasuke smirked as he relaxed in the branches of a tree, watching Naruto train the flicker technique. It was impressive to see the progress Naruto made, but he was going to yell at the idiot soon to take a break and eat something. _He_ wanted something to eat, and he _knew_ that if Naruto had been here all day, he hadn't eaten anything yet either.

Naruto's form flickered briefly before he appeared a good five feet away from where he'd been standing. Unfortunately, he was still half the field away from his goal, Shikamaru, who was currently lying on his back taking a nap.

His stomach rumbled and he echoed it, growling irritably. He looked up at the sky, judging it to be at least 6 pm and decided he'd waited long enough.

He appeared behind an obviously exhausted Naruto, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Oi."

Naruto whirled around, eyes wide. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. He didn't want Sasuke to see him screwing up the flicker technique; he wanted to show off a perfect version of it to Sasuke. Not that he wanted to _impress_ him or anything. He wanted to show him up. That was it.

"Ready to eat?" he asked. Naruto's stomach answered by grumbling loudly. "Not ramen."

Naruto looked crestfallen.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"We're going to have a decent dinner at a decent restaurant," Sasuke snapped, hunger making him even more irritable than normal.

Naruto eyed him curiously. "Are you taking me on a date, Sasuke?" He grinned suggestively.

Sasuke snorted and smacked Naruto upside the head. "No, idiot. It's just about time that you got some decent food inside of you. You can't live off of ramen forever and if you're training to become Hokage..." His look said he suspected what Naruto had been up to with Tsunade, or something close to it. "Then you have to take better care of yourself."

Frowning lightly, Naruto said, "Oh, but with how weird everything's been the past couple of days, I didn't exactly get paid for any missions."

Sasuke glared, impatient now. "I'll pay for you this time if you pay for me next time."

Naruto considered this. "Okay," he said. "Now let's eat, I'm starving." He frowned at Sasuke as if it had been Sasuke's fault he hadn't eaten yet.

Sasuke chose not to respond, merely turned away and started walking from the training field. Naruto waved to Shikamaru and hurried after Sasuke.

"Hey, where are we going to eat? I don't know many of the other places around here."

Sasuke shrugged, not having really thought about where they would go. In the end, they settled on a small restaurant next to Ino's family flower shop.

Naruto was surprised at how smoothly the evening went. Sasuke was civil, except to the old woman sitting behind them who kept sending Naruto dark glares, and Naruto enjoyed the filling meal.

He was glad when the evening was over though, and he and Sasuke headed back to his apartment. He patted his stomach and gave Sasuke a wide grin. "That was the best I've eaten in a long time," he said happily. "Thanks, Sasuke."

Sasuke snorted softly and shrugged. "Like I said, you don't eat enough and what you do eat is unhealthy."

Grinning broadly, Naruto reached out and tugged at a lock of Sasuke's spiky hair. Sasuke immediately slapped his hand away. Naruto laughed. "I didn't know you cared, Sasuke."

Sasuke's nostrils flared irritably. As he was fairly certain he was incapable of saying anything sweet, he said nothing at all. Let Naruto make his own conclusions.

And Naruto did, grinning foolishly at Sasuke's profile. At the restaurant, Naruto had suggested they go back to Sasuke's apartment, but oddly enough, Sasuke had argued. Not wanting to ruin the evening with pointless bickering, Naruto had relented.

He pushed open his front door, his hand feeling against the wall for the light switch. Sasuke shut the door as light flooded the apartment.

"If we had gone back to your place, we could have at least watched some tv," Naruto said, unable to help himself.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and then smirked. "I think we can find other ways to entertain ourselves. You have an unpaid debt, Naruto."

He led Naruto over to the couch, hoping that he wouldn't have to _point out_ the picture. Naruto wasn't exactly the most observant ninja.

"You said I could pay for our next meal," Naruto said, voice accusing. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he marched to his bedroom. Sasuke ground his teeth as Naruto passed right by the table and didn't see it because his eyes were shut.

"Naruto," he said calmly. "Come here."

"Why?" Naruto's voice called out from his room.

"Just come here," he said.

Naruto appeared again, arms still crossed. When Sasuke didn't say anything, he rolled his eyes... which then caught notice of something sitting on his table that hadn't been there when he'd left that morning.

Naruto blinked at the unexpected item. He knew the placement of _everything_ in his apartment, from each plant that he took care of to the posters hung on the walls. His hands automatically lifted the picture frame from the table, but he nearly dropped it in shock.

"Sas...sasuke!" His voice wobbled. "Where... where did you get this?" Intense blue eyes met Sasuke's and the dark haired boy was relieved to note there was no anger, no despair, but something that bordered on a desperate happiness.

Sasuke, looking immensely smug, said, "I tracked down your perverted teacher and asked for a photo. It was the least he could do after having kept the knowledge from you."

Naruto's wide eyes grew bright with the threat of tears as he brought the framed photograph to his face, smiling tremulously into his father's face. Then he turned and launched himself at Sasuke.

The two tumbled backwards, falling onto the sofa. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke, one hand still holding the picture. He buried his face in Sasuke's neck, a bit of wetness seeping onto Sasuke's skin.

"Thank you," he murmured. "You have no idea... I... " He clung tighter.

"Obviously, I had _some_ idea or else I wouldn't have thought it'd be a good surprise," Sasuke said wryly.

Naruto chuckled wetly against Sasuke. "Why, Sasuke?" He lifted his head to peer questioningly down at his friend's face.

Sasuke's lips curled in disgust when he felt himself blushing. "All this sentimentality is really getting on my nerves," he muttered.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, tugging at dark hair to get the man to cooperate and answer him.

"Idiot," Sasuke said roughly. "I'm not going to spell it out for you so that you can understand. If I do something like this, it means..." Sasuke couldn't seem to force the words out. It was weird and unsettling to make such sentiments again. "What the hell do you _think_ it means?"

Naruto responded by latching onto him even tighter. Sasuke grumbled something unintelligible and grudgingly returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Sasuke," Naruto repeated.

"Put that frame down before it breaks, you moron," Sasuke said. Naruto's hand holding the frame was wedged between their bodies and the back of the sofa. Naruto immediately complied, placing it with reverence on the floor, picture side up so he could admire it from his position on top of Sasuke.

Sasuke groaned and gave a short laugh. "Now it's like your father is watching us." He cupped the back of Naruto's head and drew him closer. "Now shut up and let's get on with what we started before."

Naruto blinked at him in slight confusion. "Before?" he asked blankly.

Sasuke resisted the urge to smack Naruto and instead trailed his mouth along Naruto's collarbone. "Before Sakura interrupted us."

A slow grin spread on Naruto's face. "Ah, I see," he said, voice lower and sending shivers straight to Sasuke's groin. He brushed a trail of kisses down Sasuke's temple.

His eyes were caught by the glare of the light reflecting off his father's picture and he grinned, clutching Sasuke close to him, and knew that while his longing for his father would never fade, he had Sasuke here to fill the ache. He pushed himself off his lover (he supposed Sasuke could be called that), pulling Sasuke up with him.

"Bedroom," he murmured, reaching down to snatch up his father's photo.

Sasuke nodded, slightly dazed but all too impatient to get on with it. The look on Naruto's face and the way his hands kept trailing below the waistline of Sasuke's pants said all too clearly that he felt the same.

When the door shut behind them, the picture of the Yondaime was back again on the table.

***

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, feeling out of place. He had never stood here before with the intent of saying anything. He looked down at the names carved into the monument, easily picking out his father's name. He wanted to say that he was glad he'd had the chance to meet him, that he'd been given a glimpse of what it might have been like had things been different, but the words wouldn't come. So instead he tucked his hands into his pockets and stared intently at the stone monument, picturing his father's face clearly in his mind.

He already knew that his father would like Sasuke, would approve of what he'd done with his life and where it was going. He'd be proud that Naruto was following in his footsteps and wasn't making a huge deal out of who his father had been. He'd talked a bit about what the Yondaime was like with those that knew him best, and he felt that was the best kind of memorial, the only one that was really needed.

He breathed deeply as a light breeze brushed his slightly longer hair off his shoulders. He reached forward and traced the characters of his father's name gently with the pad of his finger.

Behind him, Sasuke shifted on his feet. Naruto's touch lingered on the cool stone for a moment longer before his hand fell away, a smile on his lips.

"Ready to go?" He adjusted his jacket—a birthday gift from Jiraiya—and smiled up at Sasuke.

"Yeah. Let's get going, Naruto."

The two boys left the monument, the only sign that they had been there was the simple spray of flowers left on the stone.

THE END


	18. EXTRA

**Parallels Extra**  
**Authors: Questofdreams **and **Lazuli  
Rated: **R**  
Comments: **Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist. Lazz and I remembered that we had written an extra, lol, and thought we should probably post it. This takes place several weeks after the ending chapter. This is indeed the final bit from the Parallels universe unless we come up with something else. Pure pwp lol.**  
Disclaimer: **Yep, they apply.

Naruto stared at the water dripping down the pane of his newly-repaired window. He would have left it unfixed for awhile yet, except that Sasuke always glared at it whenever he came over. So rather than having to listen to Sasuke's irritating complaints (although Sasuke would deny that they were complaints as he seemed to think himself above such pettiness), Naruto had just shelled out the money for it and had it fixed.

He reached out, his index finger lazily tracing the paths of stray rain drops on the other side of the cool glass as his mind turned inward. He hated and loved these moments, when he could lose himself in recollection of those few cherished memories he'd had with his father. Hated them because they were bittersweet and loved them for just the same reason. He sighed.

That was not to say he wasn't appreciative that things were back to normal. He was used to this life and the people and how he was treated. The old hag was seriously thinking about making him Hokage at this point and Kakashi had actually started talking to him, if only a little, about his father.

And Sasuke—well, Sasuke wasn't nearly as big a prick as he'd been before, but he wasn't exactly forthcoming, either. It was frustrating, at times.

The day he'd received that priceless gift from Sasuke, they'd taken another step towards...well, to be frank, _sex_, but hadn't exactly _done _it yet. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to. His libido could attest to that. But he hadn't wanted to feel like he was paying Sasuke back with sex for that startling show of kindness. It was stupid to feel that way, he knew. Sasuke had told him as much, only in much harsher terms.

Naruto blew air into his cheeks absently as he admitted that he really hadn't been ready, in all honesty. He rubbed his forehead and moved away from the window, heating up the kettle for some tea. It was fairly chilly and it wouldn't hurt to have something warm to drink.

He was alone as Sasuke was off doing whatever it was that he had to do. Naruto didn't pry and Sasuke never volunteered information. As he walked back towards the living room, he absently ran his hand over his jacket, a faint smile on his face.

"You should see me," he murmured. "I've just about mastered your technique." He had made enough progress on the technique to impress Tsunade at the end of their bet, but still had a few kinks to work out—which he didn't mention to her.

He liked to imagine the Yondaime looking at the photo they'd taken together and wondering about how the other version of his son was doing. It gave him peace about everything to believe he was remembered. He had initially wished he'd written the other Naruto a note as well, telling him how lucky he was to have such a caring father. But he was fairly certain his other self already knew that.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door and he wondered vaguely who was coming to visit. He could have sworn that Sasuke said he'd be tied up for the rest of the night. The kettle whistling made him pause for a moment.

"Hold on!" he shouted as he removed the kettle from the heat before going to receive his guest.

Sasuke was leaning against the doorframe when Naruto swung open the front door. Naruto almost laughed at how practiced the pose looked.

He couldn't help a short jab. "Sorry, none of your fangirls are here at the moment. You'll have to settle with impressing me." When Sasuke scowled, Naruto snickered. "Come inside already before you get even wetter."

Sasuke didn't seem too bothered by the rain however, nor by tracking it inside Naruto's thin carpets that certainly wouldn't absorb the dampness. Naruto frowned down at the wet footprints left in Sasuke's wake as Sasuke stepped into the apartment.

Sasuke combed his hair back out of his face, rainwater running down his neck. Naruto, quickly forgetting his wet carpet, shut the door and hurried to the kitchen so he wouldn't jump Sasuke right then and there.

He moved back to the stove, studiously avoiding the way Sasuke's shirt stuck damply to his skin. If he didn't know any better, he would swear that Sasuke was doing it on _purpose_. But Sasuke didn't do things like that, did he? Sometimes he wondered if his memories were still screwed up.

"I have some tea," he said quickly, pulling down another cup and trying to avoid looking at Sasuke. "I even have the kind you like..." His voice trailed off when Sasuke came to stand next to him.

Naruto couldn't help looking the man up and down and, ignoring the stirring in his pants which he was sure Sasuke would attend to later anyway, tried to sound reprimanding when he said, "Go get a towel, would you? You're dripping all over the floor."

Sasuke grunted. "We won't be staying too long. Hokage-sama wants to talk to you soon."

Naruto blinked at that. "So she sent _you _as her messenger boy?" he asked in disbelief. "Somehow, I can't see you running errands, Sasuke." He handed Sasuke his tea and raised an eyebrow, silently demanding an answer to what was going on.

Sasuke shrugged and sipped at his tea before saying, "I was in her office and since she knew I'd see you, she asked me to pass the message along. Don't call me a message boy, moron."

"What were you doing in her office?"

Sasuke shrugged again. "Nothing important."

Naruto's eyes narrowed briefly at that, not believing his words for an instant. "You haven't gone on a mission for about a week, so you shouldn't have anything to turn in--do you have another mission? Unless you're going behind my back to try and upgrade my living space again," Naruto said dryly.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow and refused to answer as he sipped idly at his tea. "Like I said, Hokage-sama wants to see you. She's waiting." Sasuke turned away just as Naruto made a face at him and resolved to take extra long to act on the summons just to irritate the Godaime.

As Sasuke had predicted, she'd sent them both on back-to-back missions for a good three weeks after they'd settled Naruto's 'jutsu mishap' situation. _Separate _back-to-back missions. Naruto was still irked. She had continued to stare at him as if she were assessing his mental state, but that had thankfully stopped when he'd completed every mission she'd given him.

Besides how exhausting the missions had been, Sasuke had been much more distant than usual afterwards, which had only added to Naruto's frustration. It took him a week to figure out that Sasuke's cold shoulder was actually meant to convey he'd missed Naruto and was upset Naruto hadn't understood Sasuke's snarled greeting after those three weeks as a plea to be kissed.

Right. Naruto understood how Sasuke was but really, the bastard was so confusing sometimes.

Of course, once he figured out Sasuke's brand of affection—well, the benefits were quite nice and even if they _hadn't_ gotten as far as Sasuke wanted yet, it still made for some very nice, warm, un-alone type nights.

Naruto sat at his small table where Sasuke had just seated himself and sipped slowly at his tea. If Sasuke wanted to remain closed-mouthed about what he'd been doing in the Hokage's office, then fine. Let the bastard keep his secrets. Naruto didn't care.

He drummed his fingers against the table top as he glared at Sasuke calmly drinking from his cup. Ok, fine. He did care but he was willing to wait until Sasuke told him. He _would _tell him eventually. And why couldn't the bastard see that Naruto wanted to kiss him? Neither one of them were the type to just jump one another, not at least with some type of "do it now" sign from the other person.

Sasuke set down his tea, long slender fingers resting loosely around the curve of the cup. He smirked at how Naruto's gaze had gone from glaring to something quite different, those blue eyes staring hard at Sasuke's mouth.

"Naruto."

Naruto blinked, raising his gaze to meet Sasuke's. His glare returned. "What?" he snapped.

Sasuke's dark eyes were amused as he said, "You have tea on your chin."

Naruto blinked and raised a hand to wipe it off, but Sasuke was faster. He leaned forward, tongue flicking out quickly to clean up the droplet of tea.

_Give the bastard the idea and he is suddenly as perverted as Kakashi or Ero-sennin_, Naruto thought absently, but he really wasn't complaining. He moved slightly to encourage an actual kiss, but Sasuke had already pulled away and stood up.

"Let's get going, dumbass."

Naruto's mouth opened to protest but Sasuke had already moved past him, towards the door.

"Fucking tease," Naruto muttered. Why couldn't Sasuke make up his mind with how he wanted to express his feelings?

On the one hand, Sasuke's frigid attitude could mean he wanted to be left alone. On the other hand, Sasuke's frigid attitude could also mean he was missing Naruto and Naruto needed to get his ass over to Sasuke's house pronto. And then there were these moments when Sasuke had no problem with teasing and suggestive looks or touches. He probably liked messing with Naruto's head, the sadistic jerk.

"I really hate to see what would happen if you actually got with one of your former fangirls," Naruto muttered under his breath as he shrugged on his coat and grabbed an umbrella beside the door. "They wouldn't know what to expect from you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What are you babbling about, Naruto?"

"Nothing. Just how irritating you are."

Sasuke grunted, not at all bothered by Naruto's reply. Not waiting for Naruto, he opened the front door and stepped back out into the rain.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who was standing outside his door letting his clothes get soaked through _again_, and then back to the umbrella in his hand. Tilting his nose in the air, he opened his umbrella and followed Sasuke outside. Sasuke might think getting a cold from the rain a paltry concern, but just because he was a ninja didn't mean he had to be a cold, wet ninja. Good health was necessary when going on a mission.

Maybe Sasuke _wanted _to get a cold so the Godaime wouldn't give him another long mission. Naruto glanced at his umbrella, contemplating doing the same, before shaking his head. No, that didn't seem like something Sasuke would do anyway.

"If you get sick, asshole, I'm not taking care of you. And no one's going to baby you if you get hauled into another mission with a cold. And you call _me _the idiot."

"Naruto, I'm not going to get sick. Unlike you, my body can stand a little rain. I don't have to hide under an umbrella like a little girl."

"Tell me that when you're confined to your bed tomorrow whining for soup and hot pads like an old woman," Naruto muttered, descending the stairs leading down into the street.

Sasuke apparently didn't deem to respond because he smirked and strode past Naruto, stepping extra hard (and with just a smidgen of chakra) in a particularly large puddle and splashing Naruto.

Naruto gaped at this childish display from Sasuke, even though he was now just as soaking wet as Sasuke. Abandoning the umbrella as futile, he lowered his arm and ran to catch up with Sasuke, splashing in a similar puddle and drenching both of them.

Sasuke scowled and stepped in another puddle, this time not bothering to hold back his chakra and the water sprang up around them, showering them even harder and more thoroughly than the rain. Naruto threw his head back, unable to keep from laughing hysterically at the sulky glare Sasuke was giving him from behind soaked bangs.

"Haha, Sasuke! You're completely soaked!" Naruto couldn't help his peals of laughter at their antics. For the first time in a long time—if ever, really—Sasuke looked like he was somewhat having fun, even behind the stony glare he wore.

Sasuke pushed his bangs from his eyes with an irritated flick of his hand. He had already been pretty well-soaked through from the rain but now he looked like he'd just taken a dive into the river. He felt a smidgen of satisfaction that Naruto was equally as wet, even though he was still holding that now useless umbrella at his side.

Naruto leaned up against him, eyes bright as he kissed him quickly. "C'mon, let's get to the old hag and get this over with." He thrust the umbrella in Sasuke's hand and took off.

"Hey!" Sasuke stared at the umbrella in his hand, not quite sure what to do with it. Rolling his eyes, he closed it with a snap and tucked it under his arm, taking off after Naruto. He contemplated throwing it into an alley, but it was the only umbrella Naruto had.

Without really thinking about it, his tongue flicked out to lick his bottom lip, tasting cool rain where Naruto's wet mouth had pressed briefly. "What an idiot." Sasuke muttered, shaking his head as he caught up with Naruto, splashing in another puddle and running ahead while Naruto cursed at him.

When they reached the tower, they paused outside Tsunade's office. They looked at each other—Naruto snickering over their sorry states, Sasuke unable to help a smirk. Naruto reached out, a cool palm sliding over Sasuke's wet cheek.

"Maybe we should find some towels and dry off first," Sasuke said.

"Nah," Naruto said with a mischievous grin. "She wanted to see me right away, didn't she?" He rather liked the idea of making a puddle in the middle of her office.

Sasuke pushed back his wet bangs yet again as they refused to stay out of his eyes. "Ah, the Hokage-to-be is so special that the Godaime needs his advice at all hours," Sasuke said dryly. "Never mind the cleaning bill the idiot will receive for water damage."

Naruto gave Sasuke a blank look before his teeth flashed again in a broad grin and he cackled—_cackled_—in Sasuke's face. "You should say things like that in public. I'd love to see everyone's faces."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and leaned closer. "But I like it when you smile for me," he teased.

Sasuke turned his head away and sniffed. "You smile enough for the both of us."

"You're such a prude."

"What are you doing out there? Get in here."

Tsunade's voice cut off whatever response Sasuke was about to make. Naruto rolled his eyes and muttered, "Hag" before pushing open the door to her office.

Sasuke followed, smirking at Naruto's expression. He would never admit it, but it was actually fairly entertaining to watch the Hokage and Naruto butt heads, especially since Naruto always lost. But it was also amusing to see how Tsunade let Naruto get away with more than anyone should. Sasuke almost cringed to think about how Naruto would behave when he was Hokage.

"What did you need so badly that you had to drag us out in the rain for?" Naruto asked, eyes wide and pathetic looking. "Look at us—we're both dripping wet."

Sasuke snorted.

Tsunade looked for all the world like she could care less. "So have Sasuke light a fire and dry you off. Not my problem."

Sasuke's lips twitched, even as he pretended to glare at her for making light of Sasuke's fire techniques.

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed, before his expression settled into something more serious. "If you're calling me out this late, it must be important."

Frowning briefly, Tsunade nodded curtly. "Sasuke, since this isn't a top secret mission and Naruto will probably tell you later anyway, you can stay." She gave him an expectant look as if he should be grateful for her consideration before addressing Naruto. "I've received a special mission I need you on. It'll require a month-long stay, at the least, in the Wave country. Starts tomorrow."

Naruto blinked, momentarily at a loss for words before sputtering, "T-Tomorrow?! A _month_?"

"At the least," Tsunade repeated. "Possibly longer."

Sasuke was feeling much the way Naruto looked, but he expressed it with a cool glare that Tsunade ignored.

Naruto reined in his emotion and took a deep breath. "Why do you need me for a Wave mission?" he asked carefully. Damn it, he didn't want to be away from Sasuke for a month, maybe even longer. The bastard would be so pissy by the time the mission was over Naruto wouldn't know if Sasuke hated his guts again or wanted to screw him.

"You were specifically requested."

Naruto looked confused for a moment. "Specifically requested? Who would..?" His question trailed off as he realized he probably already knew the answer. He smiled a little at that, rubbing the back of his head. "Heh, I didn't think they still remembered me from that long ago." He paused. "But why not ask for Sakura...or even Sasuke?" he asked reluctantly. "Or even Kakashi—they were there, too."

Tsunade gave a light shrug. "I didn't speak with the family that requested you personally as it doesn't deal directly with them, but I was given enough information to gather that you left a rather strong impression during your time there. And there was mention of a Naruto Bridge." This last part she said with an amused smile.

Naruto cocked his head. "Naruto Bridge?"

Sasuke was staring flatly at the Hokage, as if not sure he'd heard right.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't remember anything like that. I mean—there was the bridge that Tazuna was building and we helped and all. It was our first decent mission." His jaw dropped. "You've _got _to be kidding me!"

Sasuke was rolling his eyes at how slow Naruto was. "They actually named the bridge after _him_?" he asked, his voice just revealing undertones of disbelief.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head again, laughing nervously as a blush crept up his cheeks. "I didn't realize I'd left quite that strong an impression."

Tsunade smiled. "Well, you've got a month ahead of you to come to terms with it."

Naruto immediately frowned again, but he shook his head. "I guess there's no choice then, if you're pushing so hard to get rid of me." He grinned at Tsunade.

The Hokage just smiled fondly and gave that delicate shrug that didn't really tell him anything. "The missions don't go away just because we want them to, Naruto. Not even for the Hokage."

Naruto gave an identical shrug. "Well, do you want me to head out tonight or can it wait until tomorrow?" he asked. "I'd hate to vanish with no one knowing what's going on."

She gave him a smile that was meant to be gracious and replied dramatically, "I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to leave tomorrow. Do what you will tonight." Then she winked at him. Naruto just barely managed to suppress a blush. Sasuke shifted on his feet, not quite sure how he felt about the Hokage making innuendos about their sex life.

Naruto made a face at her and refrained from commenting about how she was becoming more and more like Ero-sennin; he didn't want his night taken away from him, after all, no matter what type of dirty comments the old hag made.

"Well then, here's the scroll. Make sure to at least look at it before you go. You can study it in further detail while you travel. It's a B-rank mission, but we don't think you should encounter any problems until you get to Wave country."

She handed him a scroll and waved him off, dismissing him. He grinned at her, caught her return smile and turned to leave, hearing Sasuke's footsteps behind him. The rain had let up, but there was no splashing in puddles on the return trip back to his apartment. As much as he liked the idea of using soaking wet clothing as an excuse to strip Sasuke, he didn't think that the excuse would be needed. Besides, Sasuke was looking pissy again. Naruto hoped it was because Sasuke wanted affection.

When they shook themselves off outside Naruto's door, Sasuke shoved the umbrella he was still carrying into Naruto's ribs and pushed past him into the house.

Naruto glared at his back, holding his tongue for only a second before he shouted, "You're not the only one upset about the mission, you know. _I'm_ the one who's going to be gone for a month, not you."

Sasuke tossed a dark look over his shoulder at Naruto. "I'm sure Hokage-sama will find something to keep me busy."

Naruto growled and shoved at Sasuke. "Fine, then. So you _won't_ miss me when I'm gone. I'm sure there will be _lots _to keep you busy and I'll be just fine in Wave Co--mpmh!"

Sasuke shoved him backward into the door he'd just shut, mouth closing over his own. Naruto stared wide-eyed for a moment before relaxing into the kiss, letting Sasuke press him into the hard wood.

"When you get back," Sasuke mumbled against his lips, hands busy with pushing up Naruto's wet shirt. "I'm going to demand a week's vacation for us."

Naruto chuckled even as Sasuke's cool, damp fingers paused to pinch his nipple before shoving his shirt over his head. Naruto had a brief flash of the other Sasuke doing this and he smiled inwardly. His other self was right—give Sasuke a little time and there was no stopping him. Of course, it was hard to tell when he wanted to _start _in the first place.

He moaned as callused fingertips skimmed down his side, lingering right over the waistband of his pants before moving upward again. Sasuke's hands smoothed up his chest as Naruto's fingers curled around Sasuke's hair and pressed their mouths tighter together. He opened his mouth, tongue pushing out to meet Sasuke's. Those cool hands gripped his shoulders almost painfully as Sasuke's hips jerked forward, trapping Naruto against the door.

Growling slightly, Naruto moved one hand down to cup Sasuke's ass and bring them closer together. He slowly slid his other hand from Sasuke's hair, trailing his fingers down that smooth, pale cheek, his lips moving purposefully against Sasuke's, searching for a response from Sasuke that wasn't born of frustration. The hand gripping Sasuke's backside massaged the hard muscle as he rolled their hips together.

"Sasuke," he said again, pulling back just enough to see Sasuke's face. He smiled as those dark eyes softened with lust and something else Naruto remembered from his time with the other Sasuke, a look which he was beginning to see more and more with _this _Sasuke.

Naruto stared almost in awe at Sasuke's face, fingers tracing over the fine, but strong masculine features. He didn't pause in his ministrations of touching the rest of Sasuke's body as he continued to watch the different moods the dark eyes presented him. Desperation, lust, caring... want. Sometimes Naruto thought it was just too surreal and that he really had been trapped in a genjutsu all this time. It would have probably made more sense.

Sasuke gripped the front of his pants and tugged him forward, away from the door. Their mouths remain locked as they felt their way across the small apartment, Naruto's hands now making quick work of Sasuke's shirt. He yanked at the garment, pulling away just long enough to pull it over Sasuke's head before he was kissing Sasuke again, both hands gripping and massaging pale skin and muscles.

"Naruto," Sasuke hissed, eyes mere slits as he looked down at Naruto between kissing. "Get out of those damn clothes before I ruin them."

He tugged again at Naruto's pants to press his point. Naruto grinned and grabbed the waist of his pants, pushing it and his boxers off his hips and lower. Sasuke spun them around and shoved Naruto backward. Naruto flailed, pants caught at his ankles before falling back into his bed.

Sasuke smirked and bent over, tugging Naruto's pants off and tossing them somewhere before doing the same with his own.

"Bastard!" Naruto shouted, but it was half-hearted and quickly melted into a groan as Sasuke crawled over him, both of them skin to skin this time. Naruto wrapped one arm around Sasuke's back, angling his head enough to move his lips over Sasuke's jaw, nipping gently as he moved down his throat.

Sasuke settled his hips against Naruto's, erections pressed together, eliciting a groan from both men. Sasuke turned his face into Naruto's hair, breathing deeply of rain and, just faintly, spiced tea. His tongue flicked out to moisten the skin just behind Naruto's ear as Naruto busied himself sucking harshly at the muscle connecting Sasuke's neck to his shoulder.

_Hm_, Sasuke thought. _Good idea._ He sank his teeth briefly into the smooth skin of Naruto's neck before sucking hard, intent on leaving his mark.

Naruto moaned and bucked against Sasuke, eyes squeezed shut. " Sasuke," he moaned. "I don't think... I... damnit, we've played enough." He managed to open his eyes to give Sasuke a fierce look. "Let's get on with it already."

Sasuke pulled back from the angry red mark he'd left on Naruto's skin,in plain view, which he'd probably get an earful for later, but at the moment, he hardly cared. He smirked and licked a wet stripe up Naruto's jaw and over those pursed lips.

"I agree," he whispered, before rising to his hands and knees, his eyes sweeping down Naruto's naked body.

Naruto marveled at the passion, so foreign and yet so fitting, in Sasuke's eyes as that dark gaze traveled the length of Naruto's body and he thought about how long they'd be apart, how much he was going to miss the normally stoic man. Naruto swallowed uneasily and lifted one hand to cup Sasuke's cheek. "I want to... I want...I want to do this."

Sasuke cocked his head, only misunderstanding for a moment before his eyes widened a fraction and he smiled. Not smirked, but _smiled _to let Naruto know, without words, how he felt. And _then _he smirked. In a very self-satisfied, predatory sort of way that made Naruto doubt the wisdom of the choice he'd just made.

Sasuke braced his weight on one bent elbow as his other hand moved down Naruto's body, slim fingers kneading the muscles of Naruto's inner thighs and watching Naruto squirm with anticipation.

"Sasuke," Naruto hissed, hand reaching out to firmly grip Sasuke's erection. He squeezed it gently before stroking, confident in what he was doing, knowing by now what Sasuke liked. Naruto suddenly grinned. "I think I want to be on top," he murmured, hand stroking expertly. "Wouldn't you like that, Sasuke? Me on top of you, hands stroking you just like this, my body pressing you into the bed with each...thrust...?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, forcing his hips to keep from thrusting into Naruto's hand. He leaned down just enough so that their lips touched and murmured, "You wish, Uzumaki."

Naruto smirked and ran his thumb over the slit, gratified when he heard Sasuke moan. "No, I really think you'll like it, Uchiha," he murmured.

Sasuke decided Naruto was being way too talkative for someone about to be fucked. Lowering his head, he raked his tongue over a flat nipple, biting gently before sucking hard. Naruto gasped, arching up against him.

"Sasuke," Naruto said through gritted teeth, not yet willing to acquiesce.

"Hm?" Sasuke looked up through his ridiculously long eyelashes (which, Naruto felt, should have relegated Sasuke to bottom right then and there), and smirked again, his hand finally finding Naruto's cock.

Naruto bit his lip as Sasuke stroked it firmly, thumb smoothing over the tip. He gave Sasuke a dirty look. "Cheater," he muttered.

"Just give it up, Uzumaki." He chuckled lowly, fingers moving slowly over the tip and then down again, his other hand cupping Naruto's balls. "You know you want me to do this to you tonight. Don't you want to give me a goodbye gift?"

Naruto scowled. "I'd rather top you and have you remember that for the entire month," he muttered, but his body was already arching into Sasuke's touches, wanting more.

"Stop complaining and just moan, Naruto," Sasuke said, nudging Naruto's legs farther apart and settling his hips flush against Naruto's. His hands slid across the smooth skin to cradle Naruto's hips as he thrust playfully, their cocks pressed between them.

"Pushy bastard," Naruto muttered. His fingers dug into the muscle of Sasuke's back as he pressed his thighs around Sasuke's hips.

Sasuke was the one that moaned first, a fact that Naruto would remind the stoic bastard of _after_, if he remembered. As it was, his own moan wasn't far off and he closed his eyes as he gave an answering thrust against Sasuke.

Sasuke's hands tightened on Naruto's hips, almost leaving bloodless imprints of his fingers. "God, Naruto," he growled. "It's about time you came around. I don't think I could stand playing anymore."

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto pressed his palms into Sasuke's sides before trailing his fingers up the hollow of his spine. "Screw playing. This is going to have to last me a month if not longer."

Sasuke snorted into Naruto's shoulder. "Maybe Hokage-sama should send you away more often."

Naruto grasped Sasuke's shoulders and pushed him up off him just enough to see his face. "Say that again and I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to take a mission for the entire time I'm gone."

Sasuke smirked. "Do you think you _can_?"

"Yes. And all you'll be able to do for the next month is stand around your house thinking about me and your sore ass."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow and thrust downward again, watching the way Naruto's blue eyes turned glossy and blank in pleasure. He smirked, hands shifting down to grab that particular body part of Naruto's and squeezed tightly. "Don't you want it, Naruto?" he murmured into Naruto's ear. "I'm sure you'll get lots of questions as to why you can't sit down the entire trip to Wave Country."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh please, I'll be healed by sunrise."

Sasuke smirked. "All the more reason for you to bottom." He leaned down, pushing his tongue into Naruto's open mouth and muffling Naruto's reply. Reaching back, he grasped the backs of Naruto's thighs and pushed his legs up.

Naruto refrained from trying to speak after Sasuke kissed him, and instead tried to regain at least some dignity in kissing Sasuke back. One hand reached out, stilling Sasuke before he went any further. He knew Kyuubi would find a great deal of amusement in not healing Naruto if they were so stupid as to forget something to ease the way.

Sasuke bit Naruto's bottom lip harder than was necessary as he drew away, wandering over to the closet where he proceeded to bend over, searching the overflowing contents. Naruto gulped as he watched Sasuke's taut backside flex and relax as he moved about, the back of his balls visible between his legs. He knew Sasuke was doing it on purpose but couldn't muster anything stronger than indignation at growing even harder at the show.

A moment later, Sasuke popped back up and turned around. Naruto groaned. Sasuke smirked, eyeing Naruto's erection, and held up the bottle of lube that Sasuke had bought weeks ago 'just in case.' Naruto had taken one look at it and turned bright red before grabbing it and throwing it into the back of his closet, insisting that it was something they wouldn't need for a while.

Sasuke leaned over him, mouth moving over Naruto's again, distracting him as his hands maneuvered the bottle of lube. "You're going to beg for this, Uzumaki," he murmured.

"Is that a challenge, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes at the man above him in defiance. Of course, the expression would have been more effective if Sasuke wasn't pushing Naruto's legs up and kneeling between them, staring down at Naruto's exposed entrance.

"Do you really want me to stop now?" Sasuke murmured, one hand reaching down and gently stroking Naruto's balls, not going any further, the touch so light as to be non-existent.

Naruto flattened his lips and curled his fists around the sheets to keep from pleading for Sasuke to continue. He'd be damned if he admitted he wanted it so badly after having held out on Sasuke for much longer than either of them would have expected.

Sasuke quickly opened the bottle and poured a bit onto his fingers. He smirked down at Naruto who biting his bottom lip anxiously. He placed two slick fingers at Naruto's entrance and Naruto tensed.

"Idiot," Sasuke murmured, hair still lightly damp hanging in his eyes as he leaned over Naruto, moving his fingers in quickly, to get Naruto used to it faster. They had done something similar before—the stretching movement, to see what it would be like—but they were both aware that this time, it was leading to more.

"I'm not..." Naruto sucked in his breath, eyes going wide. "...an idiot," he finished on a gasp. "Damn you, Uchiha—don't just rest your fingers in there. Move them, damn it!"

Sasuke removed his fingers. Naruto glared at him and opened his mouth to protest before promptly clamping his lips shut again.

"Beg me, Naruto."

Naruto's face turned red. "Damn it, Uchiha, I'm going to be gone for a month, maybe longer. Either fuck me into this bed until neither of us can move or get off me."

Sasuke considered. It wasn't that hard a decision. Shrugging, he poured more lube into his palm and prepared himself instead of touching Naruto again. Naruto let out a breath of exasperation.

"You prick," he grumbled. "I ought to just let _you _stew for a month." He smirked suddenly. "Have you realized that you'd rather be on the bottom?"

Sasuke didn't even blink. He just calmly pushed Naruto's legs up even further and pushed forward. Naruto groaned at the stinging as Sasuke stretched him.

"Asshole," he said through clenched teeth. Sasuke leaned forward and kissed Naruto's scrunched nose. Naruto eyed him warily.

"Relax," Sasuke murmured.

Naruto snorted. "Easy for you to say," he muttered, but Sasuke was in one of his rare, more tender moods and well—it _was _starting to feel nicer and... He groaned as Sasuke pushed forward all the way, eyes squinching shut.

Sasuke's breath came quickly as he held himself back from just slamming forward like his hips really wanted to. He rested his weight on his elbows so that he could press his lips against Naruto's neck.

"You okay?" he forced himself to ask as Naruto's thighs tightened around his hips.

If not for the discomfort, Naruto might have laughed. "I'm not a girl," he said, remembering Sasuke's words the first time they'd touched each other.

Sasuke's lips quirked at that, and he pulled out slightly before moving in again. He wanted to keep the movements careful at first—because even though Naruto wasn't a girl, it was still going to hurt.

"If you were a girl, Uzumaki, I wouldn't be doing this to you, and you wouldn't have this." He reached down and grabbed Naruto's erection, running roughened hands over it. Naruto's heartfelt groan was gratifying.

"Yeah, I'm not a girl, so fuck me like you mean it," Naruto said, reaching down and wrapping his hand around Sasuke's, guiding him to stroke him faster as he wrapped his legs around Sasuke's waist, pulling him in closer. He grunted from a jab of pain but it was nothing compared to getting hurt in battle so he easily endured it, searching for the pleasure he knew had to be there.

Sasuke growled lowly and increased his thrusts, quickly losing any thoughts about going slow. The tightness and heat... Naruto arched his back, trying to push past the pain, or at least _most _of the pain.

"Sasuke," he moaned.

Sasuke couldn't quite manage a smirk. He panted against the damp skin of Naruto's neck, fingers curling into messy blond hair as his other hand slid from Naruto's erection down a smooth hip and thigh to hook underneath Naruto's knee. He brought the leg up even higher, nearly bending Naruto in half as he thrust even deeper.

Naruto let out a strangled cry as pleasure finally thrummed up his spine.

_Now _Sasuke smirked, leaning down as far as he could, dark eyes staring into darkened blue. "Better?" he rasped, thrusting more steadily now, enjoying the look of pleasure that overtook Naruto's face, even as sharp nails dug into his back.

Naruto nodded rapidly and leaned up to kiss Sasuke, no matter how much his muscles protested the unreal position his body was twisted into. Sasuke met him halfway, open-mouthed and messy.

"Damn it," Sasuke muttered, already feeling his body winding up, that wonderful burn beginning in his gut. Naruto just felt too good.

Instead of a teasing insult, Naruto breathed, "It's ok. I'm close too. Make it good, Sasuke."

Sasuke snorted. As if _anything _he did wouldn't be good. He met Naruto's mouth again, making the kiss as deep as possible as the one hand that wasn't wound around Naruto's thighs wrapped around his erection again, pumping with a quick, rough speed that had Naruto practically mewling underneath him, twisting into his hand and body.

Naruto arched up, hips moving to meet both Sasuke's hand and the sharp, hard thrusts that had skin slapping loudly against skin. He knew he'd be incredibly sore after this, but even if Kyuubi _didn't_ heal him, it would be worth it. _This _was what they had both been working towards, after the long wait and healing and wanting and admitting.

Sasuke groaned as he felt that tight spiral cut into him, teasing the edge of his senses. As he felt Naruto tighen in anticipation, his own body gave out. He moaned deeply as he came, body jerking in as he emptied himself inside Naruto. He continued to thrust as Naruto stiffened, back arching, and came into his hand with a loud groan. Then both of them collapsed in a boneless heap.

Naruto smiled lazily, nuzzling his cheek against Sasuke's hair, enjoying the familiar weight on top of him.

"Sasuke," he whispered after several moments had passed.

"Hn?" Sasuke grunted, turning his head just enough to look at Naruto.

"We'll have to do this again at least once more before I leave tomorrow."

Sasuke managed to lift himself onto his elbow and stared down at Naruto, who was looking at him quite earnestly. Sasuke tried not to smile, but finally settled for a smirk. "And you made us _wait _for this long to do this."

"_Hey_! I was waiting until I was ready!" Naruto protested, but he really wasn't at all angry. "I thought you'd be the same, but you turned perverted after that first time on the sofa."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, still smirking. "You started it, so don't try to cast the blame on me."

Naruto actually turned pink. "Your other self is responsible for any unnatural thoughts I had about you before we—you and I—actually kissed. So it's still your fault."

Sasuke snorted. "Really," he said dryly, then yawned. "Let's not debate over this tonight, Naruto. As I recall, we have one more time at least until you have to leave tomorrow."

Naruto grinned and maneuvered until he was on top of Sasuke. "This time it's your turn to be under me."

One dark eyebrow rose before Sasuke deftly tossed Naruto off him. He tried to sit up but Naruto was faster.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, sitting up with renewed energy and straddling Sasuke's hips. Sasuke blinked up at him. "Do I need to tie you to the bed and make you enjoy it?"

Sasuke tried to buck Naruto off but this time, Naruto didn't budge. "Get off me, Naruto. You're dripping on me."

Naruto was, in fact, leaking onto Sasuke's thighs, but he wasn't concerned. "And later, you can leak on me. But fair's fair."

"Who ever said that I agreed to that?" Sasuke gave Naruto a sly look. "I remember you saying to fuck you until you couldn't move. You're still moving."

Naruto crossed his arms and clamped his thighs a little tighter around Sasuke's hips so Sasuke couldn't squirm. "I'm the one leaving. I say I get to top next. Or I _will _tie you up."  
Without giving Sasuke the time to come up with a retort, he bounded off him and the bed and strolled to the bathroom, making sure Sasuke got a good look at his behind as he left the room.

Sasuke leaned back against the pillows, a half smile on his face. He hadn't expected Naruto to act that way and he was actually a little amazed at how Naruto was practically bouncing as he headed out of the room. "Thinks he can top me, hm?"

With Naruto, it was always one interesting challenge after another. Naruto was so fun to beat, except for the times when Naruto _didn't_ lose, which, as far as Sasuke was concerned, filtered out of his mind so that he was positive it never happened.

He frowned as he thought about the next month. Naruto was going to be gone for four weeks, possibly longer, which meant no training, no bickering, no sex.

"Sasuke! Come clean up before you stink up the sheets even worse!"

Sasuke's lip curled. No annoying idiots to pester him.

"It's your mess, idiot," Sasuke called back, but he moved out of the warmth of the bed, pondering what he could do to celebrate the fact that there'd be no annoying idiots. Training was a possibility, but there was no one to match his level like Naruto.

Sasuke sighed as he rose from the bed, nose wrinkling as he smelled himself. He supposed he'd have plenty of time to wonder about what to do with himself later, after Naruto left. After all, a month without Naruto gave him plenty of time to think of what to do _with _Naruto after he returned from Wave Country and that damn bridge that was named after him.

He heard the shower come on as he stepped up to the bathroom and decided to wait until Naruto was done before going in himself. Seeing Naruto naked and wet would just cloud his head with lust again and that could only end in one way.

Screw it, he suddenly thought. Naruto was leaving tomorrow and maybe at some point during the long month Naruto would be away, Sasuke might—although he'd deny it later—admit to himself that he missed the annoying ninja. He never planned the sneak attack from behind him a moment later.

It was a long, enjoyable night.

THE END… again.


End file.
